Half of Russia's food is home-grown (on-line)

THE SOCIOECONOMIC AND CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF FOOD GARDENING IN THE VLADIMIR REGION OF RUSSIA

The author uses official government statistics to show that in 2004 garden plots, typically measuring just 600m2 and tended only at weekends, produced 51% (by value) of the total agricultural output of the Russian Federation. This represents 384 billion rubles (approx. US$14 bn at the then current exchange rate), or 2.3% of Russia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), greater than the contribution to the GDP of the coal (54 bn rubles), natural gas (63 bn), and oil refining (88 bn) industries combined. It means 51% of food was produced on just 3% of agricultural land. He argues that the only thing that has kept Russia from major domestic conflict has been the ability of ordinary Russians to feed themselves from their gardens.