Great Expectations

By 1934, many of Agro-Joint’s existing colonies had become financially self-sustaining or absorbed by COMZET, the Soviet agency overseeing Jewish agricultural development. Agro-Joint narrowed its direct involvement to electrification, dam, and irrigation projects for the colonies. Its agronomists remained on the scene in advisory roles. These services were funded with income from products and services sold within the colonies. For all the improvements taking place, there were major setbacks as well.

Agro-Joint maintained three agricultural schools in the settlement regions. Those who studied became well-trained agronomists. They later served throughout the settlements, improving colonists’ lives with guidance on new types of crops, land allotment, village construction, advanced well drilling, irrigation, livestock breeding, village electrification, and food processing. The Agro-Joint school in Chebotarka. Crimea, c. 1930, <em>NY_00799</em>.

Agro-Joint introduced a small fleet of modern tractors right from the start and continued to bring in mechanized equipment. This enabled colonists to complete farm work faster, maximize crop yield, and reduce the hard labor involved. At Novo-Poltavka, colonists harvested, threshed, and winnowed their grain with the significant help of a motorized combine. Ukraine, c. 1929, <em>NY_44540 (from YIVO)</em>.

The centrally located district of Jankoy, a site for tractor repair workshops, became Agro-Joint’s main base for farm equipment in 1929. Its technicians watched over the smooth functioning of some 1,000 tractors, 100 combines, 500 motorized wells, and 100 irrigation pumps in the colonies. Jankoy shops eventually manufactured machine parts, as well as wooden doors and windows, for colony buildings. Thousands trained there, to increase the work force in these skills. Courses were broadened to include grape cultivation, cheese-making, and winter home industries. By 1937, the plant employed 664 people. Crimea, 1929, <em>A. Buler, NY_42873 (from YIVO)</em>.

Winter made most farming activities impossible. Colonists turned to light industry indoors like knitting, sewing, and glass blowing. A knitting cooperative in one of the colonies. Crimea, c. 1930, <em>NY_42811 (from YIVO)</em>.

New Approaches to Agriculture

With Agro-Joint’s introduction of up-to-date equipment and ideas, the colonies took root and grew.

With electrification of the colonies, farm machinery, light, and radio became accessible. Agro-Joint funded new power lines and stations for colonies. Outdoor field work utilized modern equipment and indoor work was no longer dependent on daylight. In the Jankoy District’s “Zavety Lenina” (Commandments of Lenin) commune, sheep sheering was one of many activities improved by electricity. Crimea, early 1930’s, <em>NY_42886 (from YIVO)</em>.

One crucial advance Agro-Joint brought to agricultural development in the Soviet Union was an increased, reliable flow of water. Electrification, irrigation, and other methods for harnessing water carried out throughout the semi-arid lands of Crimea, and in the Krivoy Rog and Kherson districts of the Ukraine, opened up new areas to cultivation. The Kamenka Dam project irrigated some 1,500 acres in the Krivoy Rog District. Ukraine, c. 1935, <em>NY_00740</em>.

Hand-made wells were labor intensive to dig, and couldn’t provide sufficient irrigation. Agro-Joint drilled for water and built artesian wells with motors to pump it out continuously. Irrigation dramatically reduced the acreage needed to sustain a family from forty-five acres (dry land needed) to around six. While looking for water in the Saki District, Agro-Joint engineers discovered a previously unknown underground stream that opened up large, new territories for settlement. The Artesian well at this pumping station was one of 47 built to pipe this new source of water into distant fields. Crimea, 1934, <em>NY_00691</em>.

Stalin used Ukrainian grain to finance the rapid development of industry in the Soviet Union for several years, beginning in 1929. Forced to sell increasing portions of their crops to the government at fixed, low prices, collective farmers could not feed their own families until they met government quotas. Millions starved in the resulting famine of 1932-1933. Through Agro-Joint, Jewish crops from the Crimea provided some relief to colonists in the Ukraine. Like all Ukrainian farmers, colonists from Chemerinsk bringing grain to the nearest Krivoy Rog government collecting station had no idea what was coming. Ukraine, c. 1929, <em>NY_00655</em>.

Change: for the Better, for the Worse

Motorized farm equipment, electrification, and modern solutions for collecting and releasing water vastly improved the chances of success for the settlements. These new technologies, along with innovative farming techniques, financial aid, and hard work brought prosperity to many Agro-Joint colonies.

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee

Archives

Beyond Relief: JDC's Work in the Ukraine and Crimea between the Wars

Great Expectations

New Approaches to Agriculture

Change: for the Better, for the Worse