Alexandra Makeeva graduated from the Faculty of Geography, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russia) in 2002. Her scientific interests include the following: Russian and World agricultural economy and geography; Russian grain market with respect to Global trends; problems of rural areas; the history of sustainable agriculture in Russia. Has extensive experience in regional field studies, including work with international teams. Currently she is a Ph.D student in the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The title of her thesis is 'Spatial model of Russian grain industry in the 20th century'. Has 6 years experience as a secondary school teacher in geography and ecology