Virgin Lands Campaign
Encyclopedia
The Virgin Lands Campaign was an initiative by Nikita Khrushchev
to open up vast tracts of unseeded (virgin) steppe
in the northern Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic and the Altay
region of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
, started in 1954.
In the first year of the programme, 190,000 km² were plough
ed; in 1955, an extra 140,000 km² were ploughed. With all this new land, a vast number of people had to be brought in from all over the Soviet Union
: the Komsomol
was charged with recruiting them.
More than 300,000 people, mostly Ukrainians
and Russians
, arrived in the Virgin Lands to begin new lives as farmer
s. Hundreds of thousands of soldier
s, student
s and combine harvester
operators would join them; however, these people would stay for only a year's harvest
. By the end of the mass immigration
s to the Virgin Lands, Slavs
outnumbered Kazakhs in many areas. The main town was renamed Tselinograd, "Virgin Lands City" (today's Astana
).
For a brief time, Khrushchev inspired a communist zeal in the peoples of the Soviet Union, and concentrated that zeal on a task that, for an equally brief time, produced the expected results.
s of grain
produced in the Soviet Union
that year, more than half of it came from one eighth of the country. The Soviet Union was producing, per capita
, twice as much wheat as the West
. The scheme was therefore considered to be a huge success, as it not only enabled the USSR to feed its people but also claim to the world that the communist way of life was more productive.
Nearly all of the collective farms in the Virgin Lands grew one crop alone: wheat
. By the 1960s, the soil
had been drained of all its nutrient
s beneficial to wheat. However, production of fertilizers in the USSR had increased during this period and so the loss of fertility was principally due to poor planning as the fertilizers were rarely available where they were needed. Before long, due to lack of any measures to prevent erosion
, much of that soil was simply being blown away by the wind
to leave bare, useless steppe behind.
Also, much of the crop that could be harvested was wasted, so it had to be thrown away. Furthermore, the Soviet infrastructure was unable to cope and much of the grain produced did not reach the towns, which was where it was most needed.
Despite the initial success of the Virgin Lands scheme, the Soviet Union was forced to buy 20 million tonnes of grain from Canada
to meet its needs. This was a huge humiliation for the USSR and for Khrushchev, who had boasted that the Soviet Union would outstrip US agricultural production.
Even after the end of the campaign, about six million
Russian and Ukrainian inhabitants remained in the Kazakh SSR
. Their number began to decrease after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
, because of the emigration
of the Slavs back to their respective countries.
2111 Tselina
discovered in 1969 by Soviet
astronomer Tamara Mikhailovna Smirnova
is named to commemorate the 25th anniversary of virgin soil development in the USSR.
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
to open up vast tracts of unseeded (virgin) steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
in the northern Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic and the Altay
Altay Mountains
The Altai Mountains are a mountain range in East-Central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob have their sources. The Altai Mountains are known as the original locus of the speakers of Turkic as well as other members of the proposed...
region of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
, started in 1954.
In the first year of the programme, 190,000 km² were plough
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
ed; in 1955, an extra 140,000 km² were ploughed. With all this new land, a vast number of people had to be brought in from all over the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
: the Komsomol
Komsomol
The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
was charged with recruiting them.
More than 300,000 people, mostly Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
and Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
, arrived in the Virgin Lands to begin new lives as farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s. Hundreds of thousands of soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s, student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s and combine harvester
Combine harvester
The combine harvester, or simply combine, is a machine that harvests grain crops. The name derives from the fact that it combines three separate operations, reaping, threshing, and winnowing, into a single process. Among the crops harvested with a combine are wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn ,...
operators would join them; however, these people would stay for only a year's harvest
Harvest
Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper...
. By the end of the mass immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
s to the Virgin Lands, Slavs
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
outnumbered Kazakhs in many areas. The main town was renamed Tselinograd, "Virgin Lands City" (today's Astana
Astana
Astana , formerly known as Akmola , Tselinograd and Akmolinsk , is the capital and second largest city of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population of 708,794 as of 1 August 2010...
).
For a brief time, Khrushchev inspired a communist zeal in the peoples of the Soviet Union, and concentrated that zeal on a task that, for an equally brief time, produced the expected results.
The first and subsequent harvests
The first harvest on the Virgin Lands, in 1956, was a stunning success. Of the 125 million tonneTonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s of grain
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
produced in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
that year, more than half of it came from one eighth of the country. The Soviet Union was producing, per capita
Per capita
Per capita is a Latin prepositional phrase: per and capita . The phrase thus means "by heads" or "for each head", i.e. per individual or per person...
, twice as much wheat as the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
. The scheme was therefore considered to be a huge success, as it not only enabled the USSR to feed its people but also claim to the world that the communist way of life was more productive.
Nearly all of the collective farms in the Virgin Lands grew one crop alone: wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
. By the 1960s, the soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
had been drained of all its nutrient
Nutrient
A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment. They are used to build and repair tissues, regulate body processes and are converted to and used as energy...
s beneficial to wheat. However, production of fertilizers in the USSR had increased during this period and so the loss of fertility was principally due to poor planning as the fertilizers were rarely available where they were needed. Before long, due to lack of any measures to prevent erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
, much of that soil was simply being blown away by the wind
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
to leave bare, useless steppe behind.
Also, much of the crop that could be harvested was wasted, so it had to be thrown away. Furthermore, the Soviet infrastructure was unable to cope and much of the grain produced did not reach the towns, which was where it was most needed.
Despite the initial success of the Virgin Lands scheme, the Soviet Union was forced to buy 20 million tonnes of grain from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to meet its needs. This was a huge humiliation for the USSR and for Khrushchev, who had boasted that the Soviet Union would outstrip US agricultural production.
Even after the end of the campaign, about six million
Russians in Kazakhstan
There has been a substantial population of Russians in Kazakhstan since the 19th century. Although their numbers have been reduced since the breakup of the Soviet Union, they remain prominent in Kazakh society today.-Early colonization:...
Russian and Ukrainian inhabitants remained in the Kazakh SSR
Kazakh SSR
The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Kazakh SSR for short, was one of republics that made up the Soviet Union.At in area, it was the second largest constituent republic in the USSR, after the Russian SFSR. Its capital was Alma-Ata . Today it is the independent state of...
. Their number began to decrease after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
, because of the emigration
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
of the Slavs back to their respective countries.
Other
A minor planetMinor planet
An asteroid group or minor-planet group is a population of minor planets that have a share broadly similar orbits. Members are generally unrelated to each other, unlike in an asteroid family, which often results from the break-up of a single asteroid...
2111 Tselina
2111 Tselina
2111 Tselina is a main-belt asteroid discovered on June 13, 1969 by T. M. Smirnova at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory.- External links :*...
discovered in 1969 by Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
astronomer Tamara Mikhailovna Smirnova
Tamara Mikhailovna Smirnova
Tamara Mikhailovna Smirnova was a Russian astronomer.From 1966 to 1988 she was a staff member of the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy at Leningrad. She co-discovered the periodic comet 74P/Smirnova-Chernykh, along with Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh. She has also discovered various asteroids...
is named to commemorate the 25th anniversary of virgin soil development in the USSR.
See also
- Agriculture in the Soviet Union
- SovkhozSovkhozA sovkhoz , typically translated as state farm, is a state-owned farm. The term originated in the Soviet Union, hence the name. The term is still in use in some post-Soviet states, e.g., Russia and Belarus. It is usually contrasted with kolkhoz, which is a collective-owned farm...
- AgricultureAgricultureAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
- Twenty-five-thousanderTwenty-five-thousanderTwenty-five-thousanders was a collective name for the frontline workers from the major industrial cities of the USSR, who voluntarily left their homes for rural areas at the call of the CPSU in order to improve the performance of kolkhozes during the agricultural collectivisation in the USSR in...
- Great Leap ForwardGreat Leap ForwardThe Great Leap Forward of the People's Republic of China was an economic and social campaign of the Communist Party of China , reflected in planning decisions from 1958 to 1961, which aimed to use China's vast population to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian economy into a modern...
, contemporary program in the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres... - Tanganyika groundnut schemeTanganyika groundnut schemeThe Tanganyika Groundnut Scheme was a plan to cultivate tracts of what is now Tanzania with peanuts. It was a project of the British Labour government of Clement Attlee. It was abandoned in 1951 at considerable cost to the taxpayers when it did not become profitable...
, a failed 1950s agricultural program in the British Empire