Movement and Utilization of Rural Labor Resources (In the Non-Black Soil Zone of the RSFSR)

In publications devoted to study of rural labor resources, much attention has recently been given to the underutilization of the labor force in agriculture due to the seasonal nature of work and to technological progress. Certainly these questions a r e of substantial significance. However, of no less importance, in our opinion, is the problem of the incomplete utilization of agricultural means of production due to the shortage of labor, skilled personnel particularly. This problem is felt primarily in areas with less favorable natural conditions, The fact that the problem has been relatively poorly worked out is, in our opinion, due in no small measure to the fact that in the literature (l), - agriculture is often looked upon as an absolute constant source of release of labor power. Consideration is not given to the labor -intensive nature of agricultural production, the degree of its intensification, the level of satisfaction of the population's needs for farm products, and the actual situation with respect to labor resources in certain economic areas of the country.