Date: 1921-11-29
Source: ru:PSS/v44

SPEECH AT THE I MOSCOW GOVERNORATE AGRICULTURAL CONGRESS, NOVEMBER 29, 1921
Comrades, allow me first to extend the greetings of the Council of People’s Commissars on your behalf. I deeply regret that I am unable to deliver a comprehensive report at your congress—as would be fitting—and to be present among you in order to hear the reports presented here and, above all, to listen to the addresses that will be delivered by representatives from the localities who are directly engaged in agricultural production, who are intimately concerned with the advancement of agriculture, and who are in a position to offer substantial, practical guidance. Accordingly, beyond a general greeting, I must limit myself to a brief remark on the immense significance of the work your congress is undertaking.
You all know, comrades, that the central question—raised by all circumstances to the forefront of our republic’s political agenda, both domestically and internationally—is the task of raising the overall level of economic activity, with particular emphasis on the improvement of agriculture. All signs point to the fact that, after the arduous years of imperialist war and the victorious civil war, the peasant masses are now undergoing a profound transformation. The realization that it is no longer possible to manage affairs as before has taken deep root in the very heart of the peasant population. Our primary task now is to ensure that what has been accomplished thus far by a small number of peasants—

SPEECH AT THE I MOSCOW GOVERNORATE AGRICULTURAL CONGRESS
that the knowledge currently disseminated among the peasant masses through our relatively weak agronomic expertise is insufficient to truly become the common property of tens of millions. A host of indicators suggests that the desire to reorganize agricultural practices and to elevate agricultural cultivation is now felt by the peasantry more deeply, more broadly, and more acutely than ever before. Our chief objective must be to see that congresses like yours are held more frequently—and that the outcomes of these congresses are reflected in concrete, practical improvements in the very near future.
The greatest calamity that has befallen us this year is the widespread famine across numerous governorates, coupled with a drought that, while it may not threaten us in the immediate coming year, looms as a serious danger for the years ahead. In light of this, the paramount task—not only for agriculture, but for the entire national economy—is to achieve, at all costs, the most urgent and immediately implementable improvements and upturns in agricultural production. This can be accomplished only if the vast majority of peasants who engage in farming and manage agricultural affairs come to fully recognize the imperative of elevating their agricultural practices. Only when the extensive reforms already underway—and when these reforms encompass every single governorate—can we hope to overcome famine, vanquish hunger, and bring about genuine improvement in peasant livelihoods. The work of a small number of agronomists, dwarfed in comparison to the sheer size of the peasant population, cannot yield meaningful results without being closely aligned with the practical challenges of agricultural production. Congresses such as yours must be held throughout all governorates and must exert a decisive influence on the peasant masses. This is now the most fundamental, indeed, the most pressing political necessity—for as our international standing has improved, all political questions are converging toward a single goal: to raise agricultural productivity at all costs. An increase in agricultural output must inevitably lead to improvements in industry and to better

provisioning of peasant households with all the essential goods required for personal consumption, as well as with the tools of production and machinery without which the secure existence of the worker-peasant masses is simply impossible.
Comrades, you have heard here the report delivered by Comrade Osinsky on the general economic policy, and, as I have been informed, the report by Comrade Meshchov on land-reform issues. I repeat: the practical proposals put forward by those who are directly engaged in agricultural management—those proposed by representatives of the peasant economy—are of utmost value to us. Equally important and highly prized are the experiments you have brought with you, which will be made available to the broadest possible audience. Moscow Governorate occupies an almost unique position, for here, thanks to the relatively easy exchange of experience between Moscow’s peasants and representatives of the central authorities and agronomists, the resolutions adopted at this congress—and the insights it yields—will carry significance far beyond the borders of Moscow Governorate. The gravest danger arises when there is less connection with agronomic assistance; therefore, it is essential that Moscow’s farmers—and Moscow’s peasantry—view their own experiments and the progress they make in improving agriculture as the first steps along this path, and that they share these experiences with the peasantry of even the most remote governorates. It is precisely on this point that I wish to draw your attention: let the experiments and conclusions you reach here not only help you take further steps in your own agricultural endeavors, but also enable you to share your experiences and your practical recommendations with the peasantry of the most distant governorates.
All the questions raised here—questions concerning bran, and, in short, all matters related to land reform—have implications that extend far beyond the immediate scope of this discussion. To know your own views on these issues—especially for us, the representatives of the central authorities—is of paramount importance. We approach these questions based on practical

SPEECH AT THE I MOSCOW GOVERNORATE AGRICULTURAL CONGRESS
experience. Above all, the most crucial and fundamental thing is that a sense of the need to improve peasant agriculture awaken within our peasant masses—and that the practical steps you take are thoroughly discussed among yourselves. Everything you express here will be carefully considered by us, and we will take your own experience into account when implementing practical measures. At the same time, I reiterate: let your experience be known in the most remote governorates, farthest from the center. This is what makes your work especially valuable to us.
In concluding, and once again conveying the greetings of the Council of People’s Commissars, I wish you every success in your work. (Applause.)
A brief newspaper report was published on November 30, 1921, in Pravda, No. 270.

This speech is printed here in full for the first time, based on the verbatim transcript verified against the newspaper text.