Policy Reforms and Agriculture Development in Central Asia (Natural Resource Management and Policy Book 28)

The Central Asian republics - Kazakhstan, the Krygyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan - are transitioning from centrally planned economies to market-oriented systems. This volume addresses the process and policy reforms these countries face and how the reforms may impact agricultural development in a region that has experienced varying degrees of economic growth over the fifteen years since independence. It offers expert policy research and analysis and provides research-based information for generating policy recommendations that are relevant to each country as well as similar evidence from other transitional economies, including China, Vietnam, and selected Eastern European countries. Suresh Chandra Babu is a Senior Research Fellow and Program Leader at the International Food Research Policy Institute (IFRPI), in Washington, D.C. where he coordinates its research and outreach programs in Central Asia. He has trained more than 1,000 policy analysts and has consulted with international organizations such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and UNICEF. Dr. Babu received his Ph. D. in economics from Iowa State University in the United States. Sandjar Djalalov is a principal researcher at the Center for Efficient Economic Policy in Uzbekistan where he conducts research on production, marketing, investment, and consumption behavior of different types of farms in Uzbekistan and Central Asia. He is also a senior lecturer in the Tashkent Institute of Engineering for Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization. Dr. Djalalov received his Ph. D. from the Institute of Macroeconomics and Social Investigation in Tashkent in Uzbekistan Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Policy Reforms and Agriculture Development in Central Asia: An Overview of Issues and Challenges....Pages 3-24 Economic Reform and Performance in Central Asia....Pages 25-57 Front Matter....Pages 59-59 Political Economy of Agrarian Reforms in Central Asia: Lessons from Policy Failures....Pages 61-70 Policy Reforms in Central Asia: Problems and Perspectives....Pages 71-107 A Comparative Analysis of Trends in Agricultural Productivity in Central Asian Transition Economies....Pages 109-129 Land Reform and Farm Restructuring in Central Asia: Progress and Challenges Ahead....Pages 131-170 Globalization, Water and Changing Policies in the Aral Sea Basin....Pages 171-180 Agriculture Reform Policies in Uzbekistan....Pages 181-203 Policy Reforms and Agriculture Development Challenges in Tajikstan....Pages 205-219 Agrarian Reforms in Turkmenistan....Pages 221-236 Front Matter....Pages 237-237 Impact of Policy Reforms on Farm Production in Uzbekistan....Pages 239-255 Farmers’ Response to Land Privatization in Tajikistan....Pages 257-266 Market Reform and Producer Responses in Central Asia....Pages 267-275 Policy Reforms and Livestock Development in Central Asia....Pages 277-309 Private Sector Development in Uzbekistan Agriculture: Challenges and Opportunities....Pages 311-346 Institutional Reforms and National Agricultural Research Systems in Central Asia....Pages 347-355 Irrigation Systems and Sustainable Natural Resource Use Under Economic Reforms in Uzbekistan....Pages 357-369 The Sustainable Development of Water User’s Associations in Uzbekistan....Pages 371-393 Front Matter....Pages 395-395 Food Security and Poverty in Central Asia....Pages 397-417 Policy Reforms and Poverty in Central Asia with Special Focus on Kyrgystan....Pages 419-440 Front Matter....Pages 395-395 Food Security and Determinants of Poverty in Central Asia: Case Study from Kazakhstan....Pages 441-454 Front Matter....Pages 455-455 Information and Communication Technology in Reforming National Agricultural Systems in Central Asian Countries: The Case of Georgia....Pages 457-474 Strengthening Institutional Capacity for Policy Reforms in Central Asia....Pages 475-483 Policy Reforms in Central Asian Agriculture: A Synthesis and Conclusion....Pages 485-494 Achieving sustainable agricultural development is at the forefront of the poverty reduction objective of the Central Asian republics - Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Since independence, the countries of the Central Asian region have undergone a series of transition from centrally planned economies to a more market oriented system. Wide-ranging policy reforms have been implemented, although in varying degrees, in the five Central Asian countries. Despite great efforts by the countries and the external advice and efforts of international agencies to help them to follow a dynamic growth path, the progress in policy reforms has been frustratingly slow. Generating momentum to reorient the approach and the sequencing of policy reform packages will require rethinking of the policy reform process. This is particularly so in the food, agriculture, and natural resource sectors. This further requires improved understanding among the policymakers, donors, and international agencies of the impact of policy alternatives so that policy reforms and the speed with which they have been implemented are consistent with the objectives and the social and political realities of individual countries in the region. Involving the local policy research community in identifying critical issues and challenges, setting priorities among them for food and agricultural and natural resource policy research and analysis, and implementing joint research studies is the best way to generate knowledge on the impact of policy reforms and to increase ownership of policy design and implementation. Addresses the process and policy reforms the Central Asian republics face and how the reforms may impact agricultural development in a region that has experienced varying degrees of economic growth over the fifteen years since independence. This title offers research, analysis, and information required to generate policy recommendations. Edited By Suresh Chandra Babu And Sandjar Djalalov. Includes Bibliographical References.