Past and Present Agricultural Life of the Border Region (Mountain Racha)

Until the 1930s (before collectivization), a primitive way of farming and cattle breeding prevailed in the mountainous Racha. Difficult living conditions and the scarcity of agricultural resources inclined the population to handicrafts and labor migration. In the socialist period, certain changes took place: as a result of an increase in the share of mechanization, local tools of labor were completely out of use; At those times, new agricultural cultures were established and old ones disappeared; In the conditions of collectivization and industrial development, traditional relations were broken; All this happened against the backdrop of strong migration and urban processes.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the former Soviet republics, including Georgia, faced a fundamentally changed reality. The country turned out to be unprepared for complex socio-economic processes and the restoration of independence. The critical situation has arisen in almost all spheres of life. This affected the life of the population of Zemo Racha especially sharply. As a result, most of the villages were almost deserted. The complete shutdown of communications with neighbors along the border, the disruption of traditional economic ties, termination of previously operating smallbusinesses, the difficult demographic situation, etc., creates an unfavorab economic perspective for Mountain Racha.