Modern personal subsidiary plots of villagers and townspeople: historical dynamics, functions, spatial differences

Abstract

The article deals with the economic, geographical and sociological analysis of personal subsidiary plots of rural residents and citizens in modern post-reform Russia. The authors consider the specifics of individual household plots of rural residents, analyze the reasons for the rise of such establishments, and then decrease in their number. The features and distribution of homestead farms of urban dwellers, who own countryside homes (dacha), in connection with the processes of urbanization and partial de-urbanization are also investigated. An assessment of the contribution of personal subsidiary plots to the total volume of agricultural products is given. The question of a formal or informal status of personal subsidiary plots, as well as their role in the social and economic life of rural and rural-urban dwellers, is raised. It is proved that an individual subsidiary plot in rural areas performs both a usual function of food production for own consumption (meeting up to 30-40% of the need for vegetables and fruits; at plots with poultry and small cattle — up to 60 – 70% of meat and dairy product needs), and plays a socio-communicative function of maintaining reciprocal family relations, and also solves recreational tasks. It is emphasized that the production, distribution, consumption and sales of products from the personal subsidiary plots are usually carried out within the framework of informal economic relations and that statistics are poorly capable of taking them into account.