Just a quick note on the kulaks. There is not much on them because their existence if there ever was one was short lived. The term 'kulak" is an invented deragatory term refering to rich peasant farmers. It means tight fist. It was used by the Bolsheviks and Stalin to launch a class war against Russian peasants as part of their ideological campaign to collectivize agriculture and bring all land under state control.
The origins of this group is often associated with Peter Stolypin who initiated land reform in 1909 that granted peasants greater control over their land. The aim of the reform was mainly political, to create a prosperous peasant class that would become loyal to the tsarist regime. Unfortunately the war of 1914-1918 never allowed these reforms to develop and the subsequent revolution and civil war virtually wiped out almost all of the so called kulaks.
Agriculture in Russia/Soviet Union, because of many factors has never been very efficient or productive so it is really amazing to see so many different varieties of tomatoes originating from there. The ones developed by the various institutes are understandable, given the role that the state played, but all the heirlooms saved in the different regions is remarkable. Perhaps it speaks to the ability of the peoples of the former Soviet Union to preserve a bit of their own world amidst enormous state intervention.
Andrey can probably add a bit more detail to the above.
Alex
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I'll plant and I'll harvest what the earth brings forth
The hammer's on the table, the pitchfork's on the shelf
Bob Dylan
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