Kolkhoz

A kolkhoz was a big farm.

Many people worked there together. They grew food for the land.

Workers were split into small groups. These groups were called brigades. A leader helped lead each group.

People worked many days each year. They earned a share of the food. Some people also had a small private plot. They could keep some animals there too.

These farms helped the country grow. It was a very busy way of life.

A kolkhoz was a large collective farm in the Soviet Union.

People worked together on these farms. Workers were split into small groups called brigades. A leader, called a brigadir, led each group.

Members of the farm were called kolkhozniks. They earned a share of the farm's food and profit. This share was based on how many days they worked. Many farms did not pay workers in cash. Instead, they gave them small amounts of grain.

Farmers had to do a set amount of work each year. This was called labor days. If they did not do enough work, they faced hard rules. Some people also kept small private plots of land. They could grow food and keep animals there. These small plots were very good at making food. In 1937, these tiny plots made most of the food. The Soviet government bought crops from the farms at low prices. They used that money to buy big machines for the country.

A kolkhoz was a special kind of collective farm in the Soviet Union.

These farms were very important for growing food for the whole country. They worked alongside other types of farms called sovkhozes. The word kolkhoz is a short name made from two other Russian words. In different places, people used different names for these farms. For example, people in Belarus called them kolkhozy. In Lithuania, they were known as kolūkis.

Working on a kolkhoz followed a specific set of rules. The workers were divided into groups called brigades. A large farm might have 200 to 400 households. These households were split into smaller units of 15 to 30 families. Each brigade had a leader called a brigadir. Sometimes, brigades were split into even smaller units called zvenos. These small groups helped people finish specific tasks on the farm.

History shows that these farms changed a lot over time. In the early 1930s, the government used a rule called the Standard Charter. This document said that farmers joined together voluntarily to work as a team. However, things changed during the time of the leader Stalin. His campaign of forced collectivization meant that joining was not always a choice. Members could not easily leave the farm if they wanted to. The local leaders often just approved plans made by higher government officials.

Life on the farm was often very hard for the members. A male member was called a kolkhoznik and a female was a kolkhozhnitsa. They earned a share of the farm's profit based on their labor days. In 1946, 30 percent of farms did not pay any cash at all. Many farms paid workers with very little grain.

For example, in 1948, the government paid only 8 rubles for rye. Meanwhile, they charged shops 335 rubles for 100 kilograms of that same rye.

Even with these hard rules, people found ways to produce food. Most members kept a small private plot of land for themselves. These plots were usually about 0.5 hectares in size. In 1937, these tiny plots produced 21.5 percent of all the food. This was a huge amount for such a small space. After the Soviet Union ended in 1991, the number of kolkhozes began to drop. Many countries moved toward different ways of farming, like family farms.

A kolkhoz was a specific type of collective farm in the Soviet Union.

These farms served as a primary component of Soviet agriculture. They operated alongside state farms known as sovkhozes. The term "kolkhoz" is a portmanteau, which is a word made by joining parts of other words. While the Russian term was widely used, other languages created their own versions. For instance, Ukrainians used the term "kolkhozy" and Lithuanians used "kolūkis."

Members of these farms were called kolkhozniks if they were men. Women members were known as kolkhoznitsas.

Legally, a kolkhoz was organized as a production cooperative. The Standard Charter of a kolkhoz acted as a model for these cooperatives. It stated that peasants united voluntarily for joint agricultural production. The charter claimed that farms used principles of socialist self-management and democracy. Members were supposed to participate in decisions regarding internal life. However, the reality often differed from these official rules. After the collectivization campaign led by Stalin, many characteristics of true cooperatives disappeared. Membership was often forced rather than voluntary. Members could not freely exit the farm or take their assets with them.

To manage the massive workload, the farms used a specific organizational structure. The workforce was divided into groups called brigades. By July 1929, large farms of 200 to 400 households were often split into units of 15 to 30 households. Authorities eventually preferred fixed brigades. These units kept the same personnel, land, equipment, and horses for a whole season. Each brigade was led by a brigadir, who was usually a local man. Brigades could be further divided into even smaller units called zvenos, or links, to complete specific tasks.

Economic life on a kolkhoz was strictly controlled by the state. Members received a share of products based on their "labor days." A labor day was an abstract measure of work rather than a strict count of hours. For example, thinning sugar beets might be assigned a specific number of labor days. In practice, one official labor day might require many twelve-hour workdays to complete. This system allowed the state to predetermine labor costs and production targets. Most members did not receive cash payments for their work. In 1946, 30 percent of kolkhozy paid no cash at all. Furthermore, 73.2 percent of farms paid workers 500 grams of grain or less per day.

The Soviet government used the kolkhoz system to fund national industrialization. The state required farms to sell crops at very low, fixed prices. In 1948, the government paid kolkhozes roughly 8 rubles for rye. However, the state charged wholesalers 335 rubles for 100 kilograms of that same rye. This massive price difference provided the government with income to buy foreign machinery. Stalin and the leadership believed this was necessary to modernize the USSR. They wanted to avoid military disasters like those seen in the First World War. Between 1929 and 1953, the prices paid to farmers hardly changed, even with inflation.

Despite these pressures, private plots played a vital role in food production. Members had the right to hold small areas of private land, usually about 0.5 hectares. These plots were small, but they were highly productive. In 1937, these private plots made up only 3.9 percent of all sown land. Yet, they produced 21.5 percent of the total gross agricultural output. Members also had to meet minimum labor day requirements. For example, one farm required 130 days per year for adults. If members failed to meet these minimums, they faced harsh penalties. These could include the loss of private plots or even hard labor in a camp.

After the Soviet Union dissolved in December 1991, the agricultural system changed rapidly. The country began transitioning from a planned economy to a market economy. The number of kolkhozes declined quickly in many regions. In Russia, the number of kolkhozes dropped from 12,800 in 1990 to 2,000 by 2005. In Ukraine, the number fell from 8,354 in 1990 to zero by 2000. In many Central Asian states, the kolkhoz disappeared almost entirely. In some places, like Turkmenistan, they were reorganized into peasant associations. In others, like Armenia, family farms began to replace the old corporate structures.