Russia -2
    Where Do We Go From Here?

Video Download

06 Dec 2007

  The buildings are decaying.  The paint is fading away and the sheet metal roofs no longer stop the rain.  These buildings were part of the Communist farm collective system of the former Soviet Union.  It was the centerpiece of an aggressive farm policy where all were to work together in fulfilling the government dictated quota of products.  However, this policy resulted in a significant decline in production causing famine and starvation among the farm families of Russia.  Today, these buildings and rusty machinery are little more than grave markers for a failed system.

 The farms of Bashkortostan are now based on a free market economy.  They are very productive but no longer labor-intensive enterprises.  Huge tractors, pulling five-bottom ploughs till the rich black soil.  With a roar and a cloud of dust, new combines quickly harvest vast amounts of wheat.  By the middle of September, most of the wheat has been brought in from the field and hauled to grain storage facilities.  The wheat straw is packed in large round bales or stacked in piles for use later.

 Sugar beets are well adapted to the local growing conditions and are processed in early October.  Sunflowers bloom in late August.  Ready for harvest in September, their seeds are a favorite snack food in Russia.

 The growing season is short in Bashkortostan but the days are long enabling the crops planted in the spring to quickly sprout and grow to maturity.  Rainfall, for the most part, is sufficient; however, in some areas the yield is improved by using large sprinkler irrigation systems.

 The way of commercial farming has changed over the years since the break up of the Soviet Union but the small towns and villages appear much as they did a century ago.  The vegetable garden, … an integral part of each home, … is tilled and planted in the spring.  Potatoes, cabbage, carrots, squash and tomatoes are staples to these villagers.  Fertile soil and frequent rainfall along with time-tested methods of growing, harvesting and preserving these crops are part of the culture that will sustain the residents through the long cold winter.

 The lack of meaningful employment opportunities in these villages has left an aging population.  Young men and women most often leave their homes for better opportunities in the cities. 

 Those remaining continue with a strong sense of survival.  Some earn extra income from a few beehives in their backyard.  Others have their flock of sheep or herd of cows.  In the backyard of many homes is a milk cow, … dutifully milked by hand morning and evening.  Geese provide not only food but the fluffy down is used for blankets to keep warm during the cold winter nights.  Chickens and ducks are also an essential part of survival for the villages.

 Once a part of a farm collective, the aging Belarus Tractor is still in use.  The rusty sheet metal roofs have withstood generations of faithful service. So, too, the shallow well with its windlass continues to be the source of water for many. Nevertheless, it seems to be a race against time to see which will succumb first – the resident of the home, the tractor, the well or the building.

 Paved streets within the villages are few.  When it rains, muddy roads are treacherous for cars but few living here have a car … relying instead on the horse and wagon.  Brick and mortar have replaced the wood frame homes of the fortunate few.  Even so, the toilet remains outside … often behind a wood shed or in the corner or side of the barn lot.

 In the past, there was hope that village life would never end.  But now, …watching a child calmly walking to school passing the horses and cows grazing along the quiet main street, … villagers wonder about their grandchildren.  Are they happy living in a crowded apartment in Ufa?  They know that their children and grandchildren will never return to live in this village.

 The unspoken fear for many is that these small out of the way hamlets of the past will continue to decay and, … occasionally, completely disappear.   As time marches on, will this simple life succumb to the large tractor and its five-bottom plough?  It was the farm families who suffered during the Communist era.  Today, the production efficiency brought about by free enterprise is again making life unsustainable for the aging population in the small villages of this land.

 Yet, village life in Bashkortostan is prized as the heart and core of Bashkort existence.  Cultivated for generations, the deep sense of hospitality and friendship found among villagers gets lost in the busyness of city life.

 Where do those remaining go from here?  The road is dim; the pathways uncertain and little time remains.

Statement About Video Use

The videos and other media material produced by CRF Media are to be used as a resource material for increasing the awareness of and involvement with the specific people groups featured in the material.  The information is made available to evangelical Christian organizations and individuals who commit to sharing the information with others.

The videos produced by CRF Media are not for sale.  They are free to qualified organizations and individuals with no postage or handling charges. We mail the material only to churches or other qualified organizations.  We do not mail to individuals without independent qualifying verification.

U.S. copyright laws protect all media material produced by CRF Media. The material is not to be copied for distribution without the written consent of CRF Media.

Contact us for more information.