The Solyanoye Village Is Area Of Sustainable Development. Socio-Economic And Cultural-Historical Foundations

Abstract

The article examines the socio-economic and cultural-historical foundations for rural settlement in Siberia (using the example of the Solyanoye village in the Omsk region) as a factor in the country's sustainable development. The authors explore the factors that consolidate public consciousness at a time of radical change in the political and economic foundations of the agricultural sector. The article analyses the dialectics of socio-economic conditions and cultural tradition on the example of a single rural settlement – the village of Solyanoye, Cherlaksky district, Omsk region of the Russian Federation. In our view, the sign of sustainable development is the three hundred year history of a settlement: from a military fortification to an economic entity, from a little Cossack village to a Siberian village with the Internet, digital technology and other attributes of modern life. Generally speaking, it is possible to divide the stages of rural economic development into three main periods: the pre-revolutionary, the Soviet and the modern multi-structure type of economy. Factors of sustainable development of this rural area include the long period of existence of the settlement, its connection with the history of annexation and economic development of Southern Siberia, and the history of the development of the Cossacks, which is a rightful pride of the inhabitants of Solyanoye.

Keywords: Economic reforms, sustainable territorial development, social orientations

Introduction

The article explores the interdependence of cultural-historical and socio-economic development of the rural settlement of Solyanoye, as components of sustainable development of the territory. The reorganisation of the agricultural sector, in the context of changes in the state and political regime in the country and its regions, has left its mark on the fate of rural settlements. However, in current conditions, OOO "Solyanoye" and the village of the same name can reasonably be defined as a territory of sustainable development.

Problem Statement

A special place in the history of the village belongs to the last decade of the last century, a time of great change both economically, politically and culturally. Villagers have had a mixed reception of the major transformations in the country's political system. Radical reforms in the agricultural sector also had political implications, of course. Despite the complexity and ambiguity of events, the reformers still succeeded in reorganising the agricultural sector. Reforms in the agricultural sector have resulted in the following changes:

• under the conditions of the "commodity intervention" of the 1990s, the opportunities to sell agricultural products decreased, which reduced the income of villagers to 50 % of that of city residents;
• seasonal employment and hidden unemployment, which has spread to 70 % of the population;
• funds allocated for rural social needs from the budgets of collective and state farms disappeared, and the sharply reduced allocation of budgetary funds by the state led to a drop in the standard of living of the village population and caused an exodus of the population from the village.

This makes it relevant to study the problem of creating sustainable development areas. The authors of this study have already analysed the persistence of socio-economic and political sustainability using the red-green coalition in the Altai region in comparison to the Omsk region. This study will focus on a particular area of the Omsk region.

Research Questions

The subject of the study is the factors that determined the establishment of Solyanoye rural settlement as a sustainable development area. The authors examine their formation through an analysis of the socio-economic and cultural development of the locality over its long history:

• Solyanoye, founded as an outpost, has been a Cossack village for more than a century, and its Cossack inhabitants have had the burden of military service, while also working to develop the region's economy;
• during the period of socialist modernisation, a unique experience of education and upbringing through the operation of a museum of the revolutionary movement in Solyanoye. The activities of the museum have influenced the worldview of subsequent generations of farmers, who created an advanced farm for its time – the collective and later the state farm "Kommunist";
• the fact of continuity in the activities of the head of the state farm, later the director of OOO "Solyanoye", is unique in its own way.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the research is to identify the factors of formation of sustainable development territories in rural settlements of the Omsk region; to obtain general ideas about the regularities of their formation; to forecast the development of socio-economic and socio-political foundations of sustainable development territories of the country.

Research Methods

The research employed problem-chronological, historical-systematic, historical-typological and comparative research methods. The empirical basis for this article rests on the results of many years of research by scientists at Omsk State Agrarian University as part of the scientific theme "Problems of Integrated Development of the West Siberian Region: History, Economics, Politics". In the course of this research the scientists published a series of monographs and formed a collection P - 3733 "Documents of Social, Economic and Political History of the Omsk Region (1996-2018)" in the Omsk Region History Archives. Also, in the execution of the Order of the Head of Administration of Cherlak municipal district from 05.02.2019 № 52-r and implementation of the approved by the First Deputy of the Government of the Omsk region "Plan for the preparation and holding of events dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the working village Cherlak of Cherlak district of the Omsk region" from 15.01.2020, the authors of the article participated in the collection of materials for the publication of the book "Names that became history" for the 300th anniversary of Cherlak settlement. These materials are stored in the current archive of the main collection of the CNMLH (Cherlak National Museum of Local History. The main fund. Materials for the book "Names that have become history...").

The use of the above-mentioned research methods and materials made it possible to consider all-Russian regularities and regional features of rural development during its social and economic, social and political reforms in relation to the period under study, to identify factors contributing to the formation of the territory defined as a "territory of sustainable development".

Findings

The decision to found the Cossack village, known as "Solyanoy Povorot", was made by Major I.M. Likharev during his expedition from Omsk fortress to the upper reaches of Irtysh river in the summer of 1720. This is the place where the carts heading for salt turned from the Irtysh River deep into the steppe to reach the salt lakes of Karasuk and Vishnevoye. The expedition resulted in the decision to build a number of Irtysh fortifications and the foundation of the Ust-Kamenogorsk fortress (Borodovsky, 2021). It is known that in 1745 Major-General H.H. Kinderman decided to send 15 arable Cossacks to the village of Solyanoy Povorot, which started farming there in 1747 (Cherlak news, 2019). In 1771, the famous traveller and naturalist, Academician P.-S. Pallas, discovered a settlement of 70 households in the vicinity of the village. There were no defensive fortifications. The barracks and stables were built as a quadrangle with an observation tower inside it. The tower had a cannon (Pallas, 1786). In 1803, the settlement was transformed into the Cossack village of Solyanoye. For more than a century, Cossacks have been performing a full range of hardship and economic activities (Andreev, 1995).

At the beginning of the 20th century, the village consisted of 80-100 houses arranged in two or three streets, a trifle shop, a pub, and a steamship wharf. There was a wooden church built in the name of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki, which burned down in January 1913. However, the church was rebuilt and was scheduled to open in 1914. On the eve of the Great War, the village was inhabited by a Cossack and old-timers population of 427 men and 420 women, and had a primary school with 40 boys and 25 girls. Together with neighbouring farmsteads and villages, including Molokan sectarians – 1,658 souls (Golubishin, 1914). Researchers pay attention to the formation in the last centuries not only the free spirit of the Cossacks, but also such inherent Siberian traits as diligence, responsiveness, and non-conflict (Borodovsky, 2021). It so happened that the Cossacks from Solyanoye were not active participants in the overthrow of Soviet power in the summer of 1918. This may have left its mark on subsequent events. In the late 1920s the Soviet of Solyannoye village had 971 inhabitants, united in workmen's cooperative association: Lenina – 33 people, Novy Mir – 59 people, Lankina farm – 154 people and State Farm No. 29. Collectivisation awaited the inhabitants of the territory in the near future (Zalesskyi, 1931).

But the processes of socialist transformation in Solyanoye had their own specificity. V.F. Koptev has been working at the Cossack village school since 1924. The teacher refers to himself as the son of a friend of V.N. Figner and maintains close ties with the Society of Former Political Convicts and Exile Settlers. As a result of these connections, a new school building had been built at V.N. Figner's own expense by the end of 1926. The children received a workshop, books, equipment, school uniforms and 15 scholarships for the needy. The building of the old school becomes a museum named after Sofia Perovkaya. V.F. Koptev started active excursion activity around the museum – trips to Omsk (1929), Moscow (1928, 1931), Leningrad (1930), trips to the Crimea and the Caucasus. Meetings with M.I. Kalinin in the Kremlin, revolutionaries V.N. Figner, A.P. Korba, A.V. Pribylev, President of the Academy of Sciences A.P. Karpinsky, People's Artist L.V. Sobinov, descendants of S.L. Perovskaya. Around these meetings, the children's correspondence with 150 addressees, among them: K. Zetkin, M. Gorky, El. Stasova, Gr. Petrovsky.

Undoubtedly, this active outreach activity created a unique situation: the inhabitants of Solyanoye – children and adults – could see the prospects for socialist transformation. This naturally affected attitudes to the initiatives of the Soviet authorities, including collectivisation. In 1931 V.F. Koptev went to Moscow to study; he came to Solyanoye in 1934 when he was on his way to work in the Krasnoyarsk region. In 1939 he was sentenced to 8 years' imprisonment under Article 58-10 of the RSFSR Criminal Code. However, after his rehabilitation in 1955, he visited Solianoe again, restoring the museum and helping the teachers, who included his pupils, with exhibits, books and establishing relations by correspondence. He visits Solyanoye in 1965 and 1967 (Kalita et al., 2020). During these years he is positioned as a "teacher, a Bolshevik". He with a pioneer tie around his neck in school classes and at mass rallies of villagers. This may not be the undisputed factor shaping attitudes to socialist construction. Meanwhile, for decades the state farm "Kommunist", the township-forming enterprise of Solyany, has been the leading enterprise guaranteeing sustainable development of the rural area. During these years V.Y. Belevkin began his working life. In 1977, he was elected the second secretary of the Cherlak district committee of the VLKSM, and in 1978, the first secretary of the district committee of the VLKSM. In 1981 V.Ya. Belevkin was appointed secretary of the party committee of the Kommunist state farm. From 1985 to 1999, he was director of the state farm "Kommunist" (Kalita et al., 2020).

An analysis of the economic status of farms in the Cherlak district shows that in the 1990s-2000s the farms were in a poor state of health. AO "Solyanoye" was the leader in livestock breeding indicators, such as gross cattle weight gain and meat sales. The school in Solanoye maintained free meals for pupils (Historical Archive of the Omsk Region. File 3733. Series 1. Case 89 Sheets 352-353) at the expense of the AO. The political life of the red belt in the Omsk region was characterised by a violent confrontation between those in power – the unbridled support for agrarian reform, the leftists from the Communist Party who opposed the course of market reforms, and those from the economy trying to make decisions based on common sense. Overall, the left-wing deputies in the Omsk Oblast Legislative Assembly comprised between 15 and 30 % of the deputies, with the number of villagers equal to one (Historical Archive of the Omsk Region. File 9618. Series 1. Case 42 Sheets 10-13, 22-25). Subsequent elections for heads of local government in the Omsk region marked 25% support for Communist Party representatives. However, district heads changed their political orientation (Historical Archive of the Omsk Region. File 3733. Series 1. Case 109 Sheets 10, 21, 30) in the course of their work. The Cherlaksky district traditionally lost to Communist candidates. The head of the district administration, A.A. Yeltsov (Historical Archive of the Omsk Region. File 3733. Series 1. Case 89 Sheets 378), won the 1994 elections to the Omsk Oblast Legislative Assembly. In the 1998 elections, V.Y. Belevkin (Historical Archive of the Omsk Region. File 9618. Series 1. Case 294 Sheets 23) became a deputy. In January 1999 he was appointed Deputy Head of the Administration – Head of the Main Department of Agriculture and Food of the Omsk Region (Cherlak National Museum of Local History. The main fund. Materials for the book "Names that have become history..."). K.N. Potapov (Historical Archive of the Omsk Region. File 3733. Series 1. Case 89 Sheets 378), Vice-President of Sibneft, was elected to the Omsk Region Legislative Assembly in a by-election.

Since 2007 V.Ya. Belevkin is again the manager, now of the OOO "Solyanoye". OOO "Solyanoye" sows sunflowers, rapeseed, wheat, barley, oats and alfalfa. The cultivated area of OOO "Solyanoye" is 1,474 hectares. Here they completely abandoned fallow and decided to use no-till technology. There is everything necessary for the successful application of no-till technology: modern imported machinery, fertilisers and herbicides. Over the past three years, the average yield of grain crops has been 21.8 centners per hectare. Sunflower yields in 2017 were 21.8 c/ha and rapeseed yields were 18 c/ha. There is also livestock breeding in parallel. By the end of 2017, we had the following results: a total herd of 1,116 cattle, with an average annual milk yield per forage cow of 6,300 kg and an average daily weight gain of 585 grams. There is an annual feed base for livestock and private livestock. Vehicles, machinery and equipment are renewed annually to increase the profitability of the farm. So, for the last few years, it was purchased machinery and equipment to the amount of 131 mln. 300 thous. rubles, such as AXION tractor – 3 pcs., TUKANO combines – 4 pcs., JAGUAR harvester, CLASS windrower, KBM cultivator, pneumatic seeder, KAMAZ, MPK-12 seeding complex, dump truck, etc. The central heating station purchased a Melnik mill, while the livestock farming division purchased a cooler tank and a feed mixer. A total of 135 people have worked hard and continue to work hard to achieve all these results. OOO "Solyanoye" is one of the most stable agricultural enterprises not only in Cherlaksky District, but also in the Omsk Region.

OOO "Solyanoye" makes regular contributions to the employees' social insurance fund, to the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation and makes other contributions in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation. We should note that the average salary of its workers reached 35,000 roubles in 2019. Every year, V.Y. Belevkin, the director of Solyanoye Ltd., leads the farm not only to higher production figures, but also to better living conditions for the workers. For example, over the last three years, the company purchased six well-equipped flats for young specialists and machine operators, and during the gasification period, the company allocated 500,000 roubles for the gasification of the village of Solyanoye. V.Ya. Belevkin helps with the maintenance of the Solyanoye outpatient clinic building and sanitation transport. In addition, the company periodically purchases vouchers for health resort treatment for its employees and provides annual financial assistance for festive and sporting events. OOO Solyanoye helped to build a hockey box and a running track on the territory of Solyanoye village and purchased sports uniforms for the children's hockey team. Improved working conditions, higher wages and better living conditions allow young people to be retained in the countryside. The village is the only locality where there has been an increase in the birth rate and population growth in general. The income of OOO "Solyanoye" and the attitude of its director are also reflected at the district level. In 2018, the district cultural and sporting event Queen of Sport was held with the support of OOO "Solyanoye". In 2019 V.Ya. Belevkin made a commitment and completed the construction of the church in Cherlak, which had been a long-standing construction project for many years (Cherlak National Museum of Local History. The main fund. Materials for the book "Names that have become history...").

Conclusion

There is no doubt about the achievements of economically developed countries with strong agrarian economies in pursuing rural development. The problem of the sustainability of rural development has always been topical in Russia. In recent years, issues relating to the conservation and development of rural areas have been addressed to varying degrees (Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of 30 November 2010 N 2136-r). The solution to the problem depends on objective and subjective factors, including natural and climatic conditions, geographical location, traditions, level of economic development and financial capacity. The presented material gives the opportunity to consider the formation of a sustainable development area not only as a consequence of the activities of the authorities, but also as a result of the cultural, historical and socio-economic development of a particular rural settlement – Solyanoye. Further developments will show how viable this experience is in the realities of contemporary Russia.

We believe that the economic and political conditions for the formation of sustainable development territories exist in contemporary Russia. But the main condition, of course, as at all times, is a working man, or, as we say today - human capital (Avlasovich et al., 2020). We believe that the working man is our greatest asset and that we should treasure it. This is the goal of agricultural universities that train agricultural specialists (Shumakova et al., 2020). In particular, the P.A. Stolypin Omsk State Agrarian University has been contributing to the formation of Russia's human capital for over a century.

Acknowledgments

The reported study was funded by RFBR, project number 19-29-07366

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