Educational agronomic assistance for the South Ukraine’s villagers in early XX century

Abstract

The article reveals the main point of the Stolypin reform’s providing in the South of Ukraine – the educational agronomic assistance for villagers, who pass to individual and the holding farm. This assistance was carried out in two ways. The first one is an extra spread of agricultural knowledge among adults and the second is providing of showcase events. The author mentions in the article that those events were not reform’s novelties; they were implemented by the zemstvos in the South Ukraine since the end of XIX century which begun the foundation of reform’s positive results in the region.

The issue of agricultural education among villagers were solved through the organization of readings and talks on agronomic topics, arrangement of temporary agricultural courses, as well as excursions to exemplary fields and plots. The article determines the role of zemstvo and agricultural communities in setting up and conducting those activities in the region.

The organization of showcase events included creation of exemplary fields and plots sets that had significant support from zemstvos in Kherson and Katerynoslav governorates. The main purpose of those events was showing villagers the possibility to implement improved techniques of farming, horticulture, and animal husbandry on their plots. The author mentions that with the beginning of the First World War educational agronomic assistance significantly decreased.

The article defines that provided activities with educational agronomic assistance for the South Ukraine’s villagers established credibility, support, and personal interest. The result of those actions became the application of new improved methods of farming on their own plots and increased yields.