Интеллигенты в деревне: земские агрономы Костромской губернии в начале ХХ века
Intellectuals in the Village: Agronomists of the Zemstvo of the Kostroma Province in the Early 20th Century

Summary/Abstract: The article considers the process of formation of agronomic personnel of zemstvo and activity of these representatives of rural intelligentsia in the Kostroma province in the early 20th century. In contrast to the work of zemstvo in the sphere of education and health care, the issue of assistance to peasants in the scientific literature is studied much worse, this explains the author's appeal to this topic. In the process of exploration the author used the principles of objectivity and historicism, as well as special historical methods: historical-systemic and historical-genetic. The main purpose of the article is to define the directions of activity of zemstvo agronomists on assistance to the peasant economy. The author supposes to solve the following tasks: to investigate the process of formation of zemstvo agronomic cadres, to investigate their activity on distribution among peasants of advanced tools of work, modern agrarian technologies, varietal seeds, pedigree cattle; to consider the positive results of the activity of the agronomic staff. The composition of the zemstvo intelligentsia consisted of provincial, county and district agronomists. In addition to the broad profile specialists in the early 20th century zemstvo invited to work in the province specialists in the narrower sectors: in animal husbandry, processing meadows, beekeeping. The activity of agronomists was very diverse. They introduced farmers to the best methods of farming, traded tools, seeds and fertilizers at the zemstvo agricultural warehouses, contributed to the distribution of pedigree cattle among the peasants. Usually agronomist in the village was a specialist not only in the processing of land, but also in animal husbandry, beekeeping, etc. In the early 20th century in the Kostroma province was formed a layer of rural intelligentsia — zemstvo agronomists, which provided a variety of assistance to the peasant economy.

• Details
• Contents