Black Earth, White Bread: A Technopolitical History of Russian Agriculture and Food

Like all facets of daily life, the food that Russian farms produced and  citizens ate—or, in some years, didn’t eat—underwent radical shifts in  the century between the Bolshevik Revolution and Vladimir Putin’s  presidency. The modernization of agriculture during this time is usually  understood in terms of advances in farming methods. Susanne A. Wengle’s  important interdisciplinary history of Russia’s agriculture and food  systems, however, documents a far more complex story of the interactions  between political policies, daily cultural practices, and technological  improvements.

Examining governance, production, consumption,  nature, and the ensuing vulnerabilities of the agrifood system, Wengle  reveals the intended and unintended consequences of Russian agricultural  policies since 1917. Ultimately, Black Earth, White Bread calls  attention to Russian technopolitics and how macro systems of government  impact life on a daily, quotidian level.