The development of agriculture on the collective farms in the Kalmyk Autonomous Region during the first half of the 1930s

Based on previously unknown records of the National Archive of the Republic of Kalmykia, the article analyzes the development of agriculture in the collective farms of the Kalmyk Autonomous Region in the first half of the 1930s. The analysis of statistical data related to agricultural crops in five villages and the city of Elista with suburban villages, including their yields, which turned out to be significantly lower than pre-revolutionary indicators, was carried out. At that time, state farms were actively developing, which by 1935 had become an important element of the regional economy. Nevertheless, the collective farms of Kalmykia remained the leaders in the field of agriculture throughout the period under study. However, individual farmers did not lose their importance and even increased their share in total agricultural production by the mid-1930s. The increase in acreage and the introduction of new crops, such as cotton and soybeans, contributed to the development of agriculture and the region’s desire for self-sufficiency. The article focuses on the fact that most of the products created on collective farms were intended for use within the region, by its inhabitants and by the economy. Only a small proportion of the products were marketable and shipped outside Kalmykia. The study reveals the processes characteristic of the agricultural sector of the country as a whole. Thus, the article highlights the complex and contradictory processes that took place in the agricultural sector of Kalmykia during the period of collectivization, and their impact on agricultural productivity and efficiency.