ИСТИНА

Development of agriculture and rural development are not any more necessarily interdependent processes worldwide, same in Russia. Profitable agriculture does not always mean prosperous rural communities, as large-scale enterprises require less and less labor force and, on the other hand, change bucolic rural landscapes and destroy peasant lifestyle. But both processes happen in a very geographically selective way, affecting the mosaic of Russian space in a very different manner. This is not only about geographical determinism, as in addition to natural resources many other factors play their role. Proximity to the cities and center-periphery location is a very important one. Density of population, its ethnic structure of population and even history of agricultural development (especially in regions of the former frontier development) are powerful driving forces, causing spatial differentiation of agricultural sector and of the welfare of rural population. Based on typology of rural areas we try to explain regional patterns of agricultural and rural development in Russia and analyze their links with landscape differentiation of the country. These links are dual-track: dependence of development on natural conditions and quality of land resources (generally expressed through economic efficiency of agricultural production), and feedback of social and economic development to the nature (density of settlement, degree of transformation of natural landscapes and environmental pollution). The presentation is partly based on results of research, carried out by the Institute for Agrarian Studies of the Higher School of Economics at Moscow.