Personal Subsidiary Plots of Villagers and Migrant Urbanites in the Context of the Transformation of Rural Communities in Russia: Sociological and Economic Empirical Research in the Near North of Russia

Small rural personal (family) subsidiary plots for satisfying family needs, existed in many countries. With the development of free market economy, such personal (family) subsidiary plots are beginning to be supplanted by large agro-enterprises and specialized commercial farms using machinery and oriented towards the market. However, in many countries, especially those that have not yet completed the transition to free markets, small family subsidiary plots continue to play a significant role in providing family members with food and making rural communities more stable, they are especially important in times of economic crisis.

In modern Russia, рersonal subsidiary plots are widespread in rural areas. In the 1990s, when a powerful economic crisis broke out due to the "shock" transition to the market economy, many state enterprises were closed, the importance of family subsidiary plots increased sharply. If in the late USSR the share of personal (family) subsidiary plots in the production of agricultural products was about 20-25%, then in the 1990s it rose to 50%-60%, and in some regions to 70-80%.

Today in Russia the bulk of agricultural production is produced by large rural enterprises using the latest technology. However, the share of individual (family) subsidiary plots still remains high, it account for about 25-30% of the total agricultural output. These figures vary by region and by type of output.

We are recording the de-urbanization trend: many urban residents in Russia have “second homes” in suburban and in rural areas (about 40-50% of urban dwellers). “Second homes” in rural areas combine “economic” functions (food production) with recreational and ecological functions (enjoying nature, gardening, etc.). The empirical sociological study conducted in 2024 in the Yaroslavl and Kostroma regions of Russia made it possible to reveal the wide variety of personal subsidiary plots in rural areas.