Farming systems classification in Zerger watershed, southern Kyrgyzstan: Who grows rice and why?

Bc. Jakub Skřivan

Diplomová práce

Abstract:

Rice is a traditional crop in Kyrgyzstan and its cuisine, although it remains rather a minor crop in terms of its volume of consumption when compared to other crops cultivated within the country. The epicentre of rice production in Kyrgyzstan lies in the southern part of the country, in Osh and Jalal-Abad Provinces, that are renowned for their unique local varieties of rice. Production of rice in Kyrgyzstan has kept increasing trend since 1990s, but so has the volume of import, too. The competition raised by the imported rice is one of the threats the local rice growers have to face nowadays and will have to face also in the future. Another problem that keeps growing stronger is lack of water in the locality, that places rice, one of the most freshwater consuming crops, into a very precarious position.This thesis focuses on farming systems in Zerger watershed, southern Kyrgyzstan. The main aim was to identify the position and role of rice in the locality, as well as to document both local rice growing households and rice varieties they cultivated. Another specific aim was to compare local rice growers and rice non-growers in their resource management, and to obtain future expectations towards local rice agribusiness. To receive the necessary data, a household survey, with usage of interview-administrated, semi-structured questionnaires, was carried out in July 2015 with chosen households in the locality.The results showed that rice is a very profitable crop in the locality with a price more than five times higher than that of wheat, the main local staple crop. Three varieties, two traditionally local and one originally imported from Uzbekistan, were cultivated by farmers in the sample. The resonance of problems with lack of water and droughts was found present in the locality as well.

Keywords

Osh Province, rapid appraisal, household survey, process analysis, Uzgen district, resource analysis

Jazyk práce: angličtina

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 22. 4. 2016

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Vedoucí: Ing. Vladimír Verner, Ph.D.

Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze

Fakulta tropického zemědělství

Magisterský studijní program / obor:
Tropické zemědělství / International Development and Agricultural Economics