Abstract

In times of crisis, humanity faces many challenges. Some sort of stability, decent nutrition, and adequate living conditions are the most basic needs which are essential for everyone. Russian dacha shows an interesting example of a sustainable lifestyle, which helps millions of Russians to cope with political and economic difficulties. This article presents the history of dacha and shows how a secondary house with a piece of land can transform human life into an independent and healthy way of life. The dacha as a social practice can serve as an example of the success of an alternative lifestyle. A Russian dacha is a place for horticulture; it is a place for living and a place for leisure. The anthropological material presented in this article was gathered during the fieldwork done for the PhD project in the Smolensk region and Moscow in 2016 and updated in years 2021 and 2022 through in-depth interviews.