Rural idyll revived in Penza region
Published 23 December, 2007, 06:43
As life ebbs away from many Russian villages, the once thriving agricultural industry looks almost impossible to revive. However, one villager who's striving to restore his rural idyll has had considerable success.
Dilapidated wooden houses, a tumbledown church are all signs that Russia's rural communities have deteriorated since the agricultural system fell into decline.
Villager Aleksey Tserkov has witnessed it all.
“We used to have a farm, a meat factory, schools but now there is nothing left. There are no jobs here so most people have moved to the cities,” says Tserkov.
When the state-run farm was shut down 15 years ago here in Kurakina, locals were left to fend for themselves. But Aleksey says most of his neighbours failed to cope, and instead found solace in alcohol.
“People don't want to work. One man who lives down the road is the same age as me, he's able to work but he refuses to. He's an alcoholic and he's lying there dying because he can't afford to eat. There are a lot of people like that in our village,” Tserkov added.
But Aleksey chose a different path. He bought a small plot of disused land, salvaged some redundant machinery and applied the agricultural skills he'd learnt at the state's collective farm to set up his own business.
Now with a range of livestock he's able not only to feed his family, but also sells meat to a factory in the city.
He's also making the most of the local resources, for example by processing logs from the forest into planks. Strikingly different from the neighbouring shacks, Aleksey's brick house stands proud.
As further symbols of his status, Aleksey shows his array of vehicles, one for every occasion. And emerging from his well-stocked cellar he's keen to reveal the fruits of his labour.
However this entrepreneurial attitude is rare in the depths of Russia and Aleksey says most people are envious of his success.
“People just don't like high achievers. If I have a run of bad luck, people gloat over it and say I deserve it. But when they need help they all come to me and I'm happy to help them,” Tserkov concluded.
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