“Mordovian silk”: development of hemp growing in Mordovia in the 1930-1950s

Introduction. The development of hemp growing in Mordovia in the 1930s - 1950s attracted attention of researchers due to the recent revival of interest of agricultural producers in the world, Russia and the Republic of Mordovia to the cultivation of hemp and its production. Being unheralded during the second half of the 1980s - 1990s, hemp becomes popular again in the agriculture of the Mordovia Republic, Russia and other countries. Materials and Methods. An integrative approach is used as a theoretical and methodological base of the study, microeconomic processes of a particular region against the background of macroeconomic phenomena are analyzed. Socio-economic approach allows observing the elements of material incentives within the socialist economy. Along with the analysis of economic processes, non-economic factors are taken into account. Results. Despite many climatic, socio-economic and technical problems, the cultivation of hemp in Mordovia in the 1930s - 1950s was highly profitable. Discussion and Conclusions. The success of the hemp growers contributed to: targeted state support for hemp farms, active financial incentives of collective farms and collective farmers, the development of agriculture, as well as non-economic motivation of Soviet peasants. Much success in the production of “Mordovian silk” was made by Atyashevskiy, Dubensky, Zubovo-Polyanskiy, Ichalkovsky, Kochkurovskiy, Krasnoslobodsky and Kadoshkiny districts.