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Summary
The impact of Jewish agricultural colonization was evaluated as nega-
tive in Ukrainian historiography. Such stereotype was common in the first
half of 19
th
century. This approach cannot be considered as correct since
most researchers did not pay attention to the outcomes of this phenome-
non, which revealed itself impressively only at the end of the 19
th
century,
when the Russian government lost interest in it.
Adaptation of Jewish colonists to new conditions of farming and the
challenging climatic conditions of the South Ukrainian region was slow
and most officials were sceptical about the prospects for Jewish agricul-
tural colonization.
Colonies received substantial assistance from the state but the effec-
tiveness of the supplies was neutralized by unskilled and petty regulation.
There was a crude mechanism of granting land plots for the Jews and
an insufficient quantity of tools and livestock was allocated. The Jews had
no experience in farming. Such conditions made it impossible to develop
agriculture effectively.
Over time the Jews learned how to treat with livestock and tools and
even improve them.
Grain bread took more than 99 % of sown area. Other crops were
grown sporadically and in small volumes.
Yield index in the colonies was unstable. However it improved gradu-
ally due to increased plantings. In the second half of the 19
th
century the
Jews level of productivity took the lead among local peasants and Bulgar-
ian settlers. The average yield rate for Kherson hubernia and the Russian
Empire as a whole was lower than the yield of Jewish farmers at the end of
the 19
th
century.
By the beginning of the 20
th
century Jewish colonists not even met
their requirements in grain but started selling it as a commodity. Agricul-
tural activities of Jewish settlers became professional and profitable.
Only growing of potatoes had economic value among other types of
agricultural activities.
By the beginning of the 20
th
century Jewish colonies were agricultural
settlements with acceptable level of economic activity and high productivity.