Subject: Trip to Southern Kyrgyzstan
From: Peter C. Bloch (pcbloch@facstaff.wisc.edu)
Date: Thu Apr 15 1999 - 05:13:31 EDT
Dear listreaders:
I am a researcher at the Land Tenure Center of the University of Wisconsin,
and have been involved in research and technical assistance in Kyrgyzstan
for 4 years and in Uzbekistan for 2. Let's not talk about Tajikistan.
My and my organization's interest in the Ferghana valley is in the
restructuring of agriculture, especially the transfer of land from state
and large-farm control to individuals and groups who wish, or are forced,
to make a living from working the land. We are currently involved in two
relevant projects:
a research project funded by USAID (though grudgingly), whose intention is
to use the Valley as a natural laboratory to investigate the impact of the
very different transition strategies followed by Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan
on agrarian structure, agricultural production, incomes, and social
stability; we are collaborating with the Kyrgyz Agrarian Academy
(indirectly), the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Ag Mechanization
Engineers, the Andijan Agricultural Institute, and various government
departments in both countries; and
a technical assistance project funded by the British Know How Fund as part
of the World Bank's Agricultural Sector Support Project in Kyrgyzstan; we
are helping the Republican Center for Land and Agrarian Reform to
accelerate and consolidate the transformation of the agricultural sector by
encouraging and assisting the development of viable agricultural
enterprises. I am currently in Bishkek, working on this project, to begin
designing the laws and institutions required for land markets to operate
and also to set up studies that document their operation.
I have been in Osh once, for 2 hours, last year, when I crossed the border
from Andijan and Namangan, where I spent all of 3 days. This lack of
physical presence is not embarrassing to me as an economist, but is
embarrassing to me as a contributor to this list. I plan to begin making up
for this lacuna next week, when I will travel to Osh, Kara-Suu, and Alaisky
raion -- not part of the Valley but as I understand a useful communications
link with places to the south.
I am delighted by the variety of interests expressed by earlier
contributors to the list, and look forward to fruitful discussions.
Peter
Peter C. Bloch
Senior Scientist
Land Tenure Center
University of Wisconsin-Madison
1357 University Avenue
Madison, Wisconsin 53715 USA
phone +1 608 265-2109
fax +1 608 262-2141
email pcbloch@facstaff.wisc.edu
http://www.wisc.edu/ltc/
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