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  • From: Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Angry Krasnodar Farmers Write Open Letter to Putin - Jamestown
  • Date: Thu, 6 Oct 2016 22:50:13 -0400

[since there is no permaculture discussion in this list maybe it would be
wise to turn it into an agricutture forum; maybe rename it permagriculture;
at least we could help people survive and feed themselves]

Krasnodar is a region of Russia with exceptionally good farmland.

"The article ends by claiming that if “we revive the villages, we save
Russia!”"
"Yet, resolving this problem to the satisfaction of the farmers risks
alienating elites who draw succor from the corruption currently tolerated."
[- har har, sounds familiar]

Angry Krasnodar Farmers Write Open Letter to Putin - Jamestown
https://jamestown.org/angry-krasnodar-farmers-write-open-letter-putin/

Angry Krasnodar Farmers Write Open Letter to Putin
September 21, 2016 05:10 PM Age: 2 weeks By: Richard Arnold
<https://jamestown.org/analyst/richard-arnold/>

The saga continues for farmers in Krasnodar protesting corruption in their
region and the unfair distribution of land. The farmers originally planned
to caravan to Moscow but were intercepted by a delegate sent from the
federal government who promised to address their complaints (see EDM
<http://www.jamestown.org/programs/edm/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=45283&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=827&no_cache=1#.V9sBWK3YGtQ>,
April 6). Presumably, their complaints were not addressed satisfactorily,
as the farmers have since held numerous demonstrations in the region. They
tried to hold a protest during the visit of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev
in August but were stopped by police (Kommersant
<http://www.kommersant.ru/Doc/3070155>, August 22). Having failed to gain
the attention of the federal authorities, on August 21 the farmers
organized another convoy of tractors destined for Moscow. They only made it
as far as Rostov, where they were due to meet a deputy of the local
regional administration. The protest was stopped, ostensibly because they
had failed to inform the local authorities. The convoy was encouraged to
take up the matter with Krasnodar governor Benjamin Kondratev, despite
complaints that he was unable to overrule previous court decisions. A
deployment of armed police then compelled the farmers to halt their protest
and return to Krasnodar (Kommersant <http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/3071009>,
August 23).

One has to admire the persistence of the Krasnodar farmers who, on
September 8, published an open letter to President Vladimir Putin in the
weekly newspaper *Argumenti Nedeli*. The letter bemoans the shrinking of
the rural population—most vividly evidenced by the twofold decline in
children enrolled in rural Krasnodar schools. The writers attribute this
state of affairs to the dominance of agricultural holdings controlled by
those who “do not live in villages, hamlets or [Cossack] hamlets; their
children do not study in our schools, are not treated in our hospitals and,
therefore, do not need to develop rural settlements.” The situation is
worsened, in the opinion of the farmers, by the “raider seizures of
agricultural holdings,” who are virtually immune from prosecution on
account of their lobbyists and lawyers. The farmers also note the uneven
enforcement of court decisions as well the lack of uniformity in court
decisions, which, they say “is also a crime.” The letter ends by asking the
General Procurator to ask six questions “of all holdings, conserves, and
physical persons affiliated with state structures of power in the Kuban:
1.) What is the focus of the enterprise and how did they enter the holding?
2.) How many hectares of land are in the holding or concern and how many
are from municipal lands? 3.) Where and to what do they pay taxes? 4. How
much do they receive in subsidies and grants? 5.) How much credit do they
obtain, at what price and rate? Are there sunk credits? 6.) Check for
judgments illegally handed down on land questions.” The article ends by
claiming that if “we revive the villages, we save Russia!” (Argumenty i
Fakty <http://argumenti.ru/society/n555/466549>, September 8). This sort of
David versus Goliath story is certainly not unique to Russia; across the
world, it is a consequences of the increasing intensity of industrial
farming practices. But there are certain characteristics in the Krasnodar
case that may render it particularly problematic for the Putin regime.

On the one hand, the farmers’ use of patriotic invectives and the image of
the downtrodden *narod* (nation, people) is precisely the ideological
cornerstone of Putin’s regime. Given the brazenly public nature of the open
letter, Putin arguably cannot afford to do nothing lest his carefully
cultivated image as the “fatherly tsar” and a “people’s champion” lose some
of its luster. Yet, resolving this problem to the satisfaction of the
farmers risks alienating elites who draw succor from the corruption
currently tolerated. On the other hand, the timing of the letter just
before the September 18 Duma elections is undoubtedly designed to have
maximum impact on the administration. In many ways, the letter forms an
interesting juxtaposition to the formal process of elections and a
recognition that trying to influence the regime through conventional means
is futile. Many believe that change to the Putin system will come from
regional politics; the further development of this case will test that
proposition.



  • [permaculture] Angry Krasnodar Farmers Write Open Letter to Putin - Jamestown, Lawrence London, 10/06/2016

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