Abstract
The transition from a command to a market economy which has been taking place in the former Soviet Union (FSU) since 1991, with former Union republics having become independent nation states, raises fundamental questions regarding the development of their important agricultural sectors and sustainable resource use. During Soviet times, a strict ‘division of labour’ for commodity production and specialisation ignored transport and environmental costs, and used a variety of transfers, such as subsidised inputs and low official procurement prices [as compared with border prices]. In several Central Asian republics of the FSU (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and southern Kazakhstan), this forced specialisation was translated into a near-monoculture of cotton, known as ‘white gold’, which led to overall pressure on the natural resource base, in particular on land and water.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Carley, P.M. (1989) ‘The Price of the Plan. Perceptions of Cotton and Health in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.’ In Central Asian Sur’ey, vol.8, no. 4, pp. 1–38.
de janvry, A., M. Fapchamps and E. Sadoulet. (1991) ‘Peasant Household Behaviour with Missing Markets: Some Paradoxes Explained.’ In The Economic Journal, November, pp. 1400–1417.
EIU (1997a) Country Profile Uzbekistan 1997-78. London: The Economist Intelligence Unit
EIU (1997b) Country Report Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan. London: The Economist Intelligence Unit, 4th Quarter 1997.
Goskomstat (1987) Narodnoe Khozyaistvo Uzbekskoy SSR zo 70 Let Sovetkoy Vlasti. Tashkent: State Committee of Statistics.
Goskomstat (1991) Narodnoe Khozyaistvo Uzbekskoy SSR. Tashkent: State Committee of Statistics).
Goskomstat Respubliki Kazakhstan (1996) Selskoe Khozyaistvo Respubliki Kazakhstan. Almaty: GosKomStat.
Khan, A.R. and D. Ghai (1979) Collective Agriculture and Rural Development in Soviet Central Asia. London: MacMillan.
Khazanov, A. (1990) ‘The Ecological Situation and the National Issue in Uzbekistan.’ In Environmental Policy Review, vol. 4. no. 1, pp.20–27.
Lerman, Z., J. Garcia-Garcia and D. Wichelns (1996) ‘Land and Water Policies in Uzbekistan.’ In Post-Soviet Geography and Economics, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 145–174.
Monke, E.A. and S.R. Pearson (1989) The Policy Analysis Matrix for Agricultural Development. Ithaca & London: Cornell University Press.
Rumer, B.Z. (1989) Soviet Central Asia “A Tragic Experiment”. Boston: Unwin Hyman.
Spoor, M. (1993) ‘Transition to market economies in former Soviet Central Asia: dependency, cotton and water.’ In The European Journal of Development Research, vol. 5, no. 2, pp.142–156.
Spoor, M. (1995) ‘Agrarian Transition in Former Soviet Central Asia: A Comparative Study of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.’ In The Journal of Peasant Studies, vol. 23, no. 1, pp.46–63.
Spoor, M. (1996) ‘Upheaval Along the Silk Route: the Dynamics of Economic Transition in Central Asia.’ In Journal of International Development, vol. 9, no. 4, pp.579–588.
Spoor, M. (1997) ‘Agrarian Transition in the former Soviet Union: the Case of Central Asia.’ In M. Spoor (Ed.) The ‘Market Panacea’. Agrarian transformation in developing countries and former socialist economies. London: Intermediate Technology Publications, pp.95–111.
Spoor, M. (1998) ‘The Aral Sea Basin Crisis: Transition and Environment in Former Soviet Central Asia.’ In Development and Change, vol.29, pp.409–435.
Statkom SNG (1996) Statistichiskiy Ezhegodnik SNG v 1995 Godu. Moscow: StatKom SNG.
Statkom SNG (1997) Statistichiskiy Ezhegodnik SNG b 1996 Godu. Moscow: StatKom SNG.
Warmap (1997) Water Use and Farm Management Survey (WUFMAS) Annual Report for 1996 Agricultural Year. Tashkent, Uzbekistan: EU Delegation.
Wehrheim, P. (1997) ‘Agrarian Reform in Russia: The Case of Pskov, Orel and Rostov Oblasts.’ In M. Spoor (Ed.), The ‘Market Panacea’, Agrarian transformation in developing countries and former socialist economies. London: Intermediate Technology Publications, pp. 142–155.
World Bank (1993) Statistical Handbook 1993, States of the former USSR. Washington: World Bank.
World Bank (1994) Uzbekistan, Economic Memorandum: Subsidies and Transfers. Report 12934-UZ. Washington: World Bank.
World Bank (1995) Republic of Uzbekistan: Selected Issues in Agriculture. Internal Country Memorandum, July 1995. Washington: World Bank.
World Bank (1996) Developing a Regional Water Management Strategy: Issues and Workplan. ASBP Technical Paper Series, April. Washington, Tashkent: World Bank.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Spoor, M. (2000). ‘White Gold’ Versus ‘Food Self-Sufficiency’ in Former Soviet Central Asia. In: van Tilburg, A., Moll, H.A.J., Kuyvenhoven, A. (eds) Agricultural Markets Beyond Liberalization. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4523-1_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4523-1_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-7040-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-4523-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive