Development of Farming in Mongolia in the 20th Century

Abstract

This article discusses the contribution of the Soviet Union and Soviet specialists in the development of agriculture and virgin lands in the Mongolian People’s Republic. The author examines the problem of agrarian reform in Mongolia, its role in the development of agriculture and the creation of state-owned farms. The article analyzes the role of the Soviet agricultural expeditions, which included agrarian, soil, hydrological, botanical groups, investigating the conditions and the scientific basis for the development of agriculture in Mongolia. The author examines the role and importance of the Mongolian Commission of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the activities of the Cabinet of the Mongolian Agriculture Sciences Committee under the leadership of V.F. Shubin. The article also analyzes the activities of the first experimental station in Mongolia created for the introduction of new crops, the development of tobacco, sugar beet, sunflower and other crops. The author shows the importance of financial and economic assistance of the Soviet Union in the development of virgin lands of Mongolia, underlines the scale of the activity of Soviet specialists, particularly in the preparation of personnel for the Mongolian agriculture. The role and importance of the Council of Ministers of the Mongolian People’s Republic according to which Mongolian workers were assigned to the invited specialists from the Soviet Union. The activity of Soviet specialists is more fully covered on the example of the history and development of horticulture in Mongolia. The contribution of the Soviet scientists, researchers, agronomists and mechanics in the economic and cultural development of Mongolia is analyzed.

DOI 10.14258/izvasu(2017)5-21