TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY IN THE FERGANA VALLEY IN THE LATE 19TH - EARLY 20TH CENTURIES

• Khaydarov Abdulkhodi

  Independent researcher of the National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek

  Author

This article examines the transformation processes of the Fergana Valley's agricultural sector in the late 19th and early 20th centuries within the context of Russian colonial policy. Employing scientific methods, the research analyzes the main directions of changes in agriculture, irrigation, and land relations, as well as the impact of these processes on the socio-economic situation of the region's population. Drawing on archival materials, statistical reviews of the Fergana region, and contemporary historical research, the study demonstrates that the introduction of American cotton varieties, expansion of irrigation networks, and implementation of imperial reforms in the region led to the formation of a new, cotton-oriented economic model. Despite certain achievements, such as increased crop yields and improved transport infrastructure, the colonial agrarian policy resulted in rising farmer indebtedness and social dependency, failing to ensure sustainable development. The study reveals the contradictory nature of modernization and its long-term consequences for the socio-economic development of Central Asia.

Abdullaev, O. (1995). Namangan region (Nature, population, economy). Namangan: Namangan Regional Publishing Department.

Abdurakhimova, N., & Ergashev, F. (2002). Tsarist colonial system in Turkestan. Tashkent: Academy (Fan).

Fedorov, E. G. (1925). Ocherki natsional’no-osvoboditel’nogo dvizheniya v Sredney Azii. Tashkent: Gosizdat UzSSR.

Fergana Regional State Archive (n.d.). Fund 1022, List 1, Case 87.

Kasimbekov, K. F. (1978). Iz istorii narodnykh dvizhenii v Ferganskoi oblasti v kontse XIX – nachale XX veka. Tashkent: Fan.

Middendorf, A. F. (1882). Ocherki Ferganskoi doliny. St. Petersburg: Imperial Academy of Sciences.

Palen, K. K. (1910). Zemskaya ferma. St. Petersburg: Government Printing Office.

Spoor, M. (2005). Cotton in Central Asia: Curse or foundation for sustainable development? London: SOAS.

Statisticheskiĭ obzor Ferganskoi oblasti (1887–1914). Novyi Margelan & Skobelev.

Usarov, U. (2019). Some comments on the irrigation system and agriculture of the Fergana Valley in the early 19th–20th centuries. Vesti KarSU, Special Issue.

Ziyoev, H. (2006). Uzbekistan v ioke kolonializma i ugneteniya (vtoraya polovina XIX – nachalo XX veka). Tashkent: Sharq.

• PDF