The History of Structural Changes in Agriculture in Uzbekistan (1991-2016)

Abstract

This study examines the historical evolution of structural reforms in Uzbekistan’s agricultural sector during the first twenty-five years of independence (1991–2016). The research analyzes the main stages of agrarian reform, the institutional and legal changes introduced during the transition to a market economy, and their impact on agricultural development. The study employs historical, comparative, chronological, and institutional methods based on the analysis of legislative acts, government documents, statistical data, and scholarly literature. The findings identify three major stages of agricultural reform: the transition from state and collective farms to diversified forms of ownership (1991–1997), the establishment of a legal and institutional framework for new farming entities (1998– 2008), and the optimization of farm structures to improve production efficiency (2008–2016). These reforms contributed to the expansion of private farming, strengthened market-oriented agricultural production, and modernized the institutional framework of the sector. However, the reform process was constrained by uneven implementation and persistent administrative intervention. The study contributes to understanding the historical dynamics of agrarian transformation in Uzbekistan and provides a basis for further research on agricultural modernization in post-Soviet countries.