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College of Agriculture

Department of Agricultural Education & Studies

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Graduate Programs: Greg Miller 515-294-2583 / Undergraduate Programs: Mike Retallick 515-294-4810

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Graduate Student Scholarly Work

 

Khomoutov, A.V. (2000). A historical profile of Valamo Monastery’s agricultural practices, with implications for agricultural and extension education. Doctoral dissertation.

The purpose of this study was to create a vision to empower monks and civilians to make their decisions about developing a renewed agricultural extension and demonstration systems for the Valamo Archipelago based on agricultural technology transfer in time. In other words, the purpose was to propose better ways to educate people of the described area about how to live in harmony with the environment.

Two research questions guided the study: (1) What components of an informal agricultural education system were in use at Valamo Monastery prior to World War II; and (2) What basic elements can be applied to develop a system of agricultural extension in present-day Valamo Monastery to educate people about agriculture in the post-WWII years?

The need for the study rose from the need to make agriculture once again productive in that area and from the need to make the agricultural knowledge available to all people. Agricultural knowledge on the Valamo Islands has an indigenous character, however, it can also be of value for the entire world as an extension system that can incorporate this knowledge for adoption in the other areas throughout Russia through the activities of the church, and through western involvement as well as through communication systems. Pilgrimages and tourism should also make valuable contributions to this system.

The findings represent several facts:

  • There is a potential for an agricultural extension development in the regions of Karelia and Ingemanland of Russia.
  • The monasteries (and particularly Valamo Monastery) can be key parts of such an extension system, just like the universities in the Western world, because of their existing network in the country, their agricultural involvement and their connections with local communities.
  • An indigenous system of sustainable agricultural production has existed on Valamo archipelago prior to the cesession of that territory to Soviet Russia during World War II.
  • It is possible to develop a system of agricultural production in the same area based on the past experience of the monastery of Valamo, and to develop a system of agricultural information dissemination centered at the monastery that would benefit local consumers of agricultural information, i.e., producers of agricultural products.