Agriculture in Central Asia

Agriculture in Central Asia

Agriculture in Central Asia constitutes at least 20% of the GDP of every Central Asian country with the lone exception of Kazakhstan. Despite this, in all of the Central Asian countries, at least 20% of the labor force is employed in agriculture.

By far the two most significant crops in Central Asia are cotton and wheat. Only Kazakhstan and Mongolia do not cultivate significant amounts of cotton. This emphasis on intensive cotton cultivation in the Amu Darya watershed countries of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan has played a major role in the drying and polluting of the Aral Sea because of the large amounts of water and fertilizer used in cotton cultivation.

The cultivation of wheat has also contributed to regional environmental issues, starting with the Virgin Lands Campaign during the Soviet era. Because the precautionary measures taken to preserve soil quality when the campaign began were insufficient, the soil eroded and its nutrients became degraded by excessive mono-crop cultivation. This history continues to impact grain production today, particularly in Kazakhstan.

Aside from these two primary crops, the region produces a wide variety of products which include barley, corn, flax, grapes, potatoes, rice, sugar beets, sunflowers, tobacco, apricots, pears, plums, apples, cherries, pomegranates, melons, dates, figs, sesame, pistachios, and nuts.

Animal husbandry constitutes a large part of Central Asian agriculture. Cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, and horses are raised in the area. Some famous local breeds include the Karakul sheep and Akhal-Teke horse. Some regions also cultivate mulberry trees and silkworms.

ee also

*Agriculture in Kazakhstan
*Agriculture in Kyrgyzstan
*Agriculture in Mongolia
*Agriculture in Tajikistan
*Agriculture in Turkmenistan
*Agriculture in Uzbekistan
* [http://www.ifpri.org/divs/mtid/dp/mtidp80.htm Grain Marketing Parastatals in Asia: Why Do They Have to Change Now?] by Shahidur Rashid, Ralph Cummings Jr., and Ashok Gulati (2005)


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Central Asia — Area 4,003,400 km2 (1,545,721 sq mi)[1] Population 61,551,945 …   Wikipedia

  • Central Asia —       central region of Asia, extending from the Caspian Sea in the west to the border of western China in the east. It is bounded on the north by Russia and on the south by Iran, Afghanistan, and China. The region consists of the former Soviet… …   Universalium

  • Central Asia, history of — Introduction       history of the area from prehistoric and ancient times to the present.       In its historical application the term Central Asia designates an area that is considerably larger than the heartland of the Asian continent. Were it… …   Universalium

  • Central Asia, Russian role in —    The region of Central Asia is generally defined as the geopolitical space between Russia, Europe, China, and the Indian subcontinent. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the term generally refers to the five republics of Kazakhstan,… …   Historical Dictionary of the Russian Federation

  • History of Central Asia — The history of Central Asia has been determined primarily by the area s climate and geography. The aridity of the region makes agriculture difficult, and its distance from the sea cut it off from much trade. Thus, few major cities developed in… …   Wikipedia

  • Agriculture in Mongolia — constitutes 20.6% of Mongolia s annual Gross domestic product and employs 42% of the labor force. However, the high altitude, extreme fluctuation in temperature, long winters, and low precipitation provides limited potential for agricultural… …   Wikipedia

  • Agriculture in Uzbekistan — employs 28% of the country s labor force and contributes 24% of its GDP (2006 data). Crop agriculture requires irrigation and occurs mainly in river valleys and oases. Cultivable land is 4.4 million hectares, or about 10% of Uzbekistan s total… …   Wikipedia

  • Agriculture in Kazakhstan — remains a small scale sector of Kazakhstan s economy. Agriculture s contribution to the GDP is under 10% it was recorded as 6.7%, and as occupying only 20% of labor. At the same time, more than 70% of its land is occupied in crops and animal… …   Wikipedia

  • Agriculture in Kyrgyzstan — is a significant sector of the economy. According to the CIA World Factbook, it comprises 35.3% of the total GDP and occupies 55% of the total labor force. Only 7.5% of the total land area is used for crop cultivation, but 44% of the land is used …   Wikipedia

  • Agriculture in Tajikistan — Tajikistan is a highly agrarian country, with its rural population at more than 70% and agriculture accounting for 60% of employment and around 30% of GDP. Tajikistan: 15 Years of Independence , statistical yearbook, State Statistical Committee… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/4046537 Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”