Comparison of U.S. and Russian Agriculture

Abstract

The Soviet Union is the world’s third largest producer of cotton, growing approximately one-eighth of the world’s total annual productions of cotton. The country’s average yield of lint per acre in 1964 was the world’s highest, 640 pounds per acre. The case study of Soviet cotton is very illustrative for the understanding of the reasons for the permanent shortages in Soviet agricultural production. A clos study of the history and geography of Soviet cotton production is also very helpful for the estimation of the potentialities of Soviet agricultural production, if proper agricultural technology be applied and reasonable e incentive to producers be permitted. In the Soviet Union all cotton production after 1953 has been concentrated on irrigated lands only, while in the United States two thirds of the cotton has been grown without irrigation. If we compare areas in the Soviet Union and the United States with analogous or closely matching environments (climate and soil), we will find that the average yield of Soviet cotton is significantly lower than the yield of American cotton.