Assessing the social impact of cotton harvest mechanization in Uzbekistan (original) (raw)
The Government of Uzbekistan (GoU) has recently adopted a policy to mechanize the cotton harvest as part of its drive to modernize the agricultural sector. Under Uzbekistan’s state-order system it is compulsory for many farmers to grow cotton. They are contractually obligated to produce stipulated quantities that are annually set by the government, and must sell these to the GoU at a price fixed by the government. Almost all cotton in Uzbekistan is harvested by hand, even though mechanization existed during the Soviet period. An estimated 2.2–3 million1 people were involved in at least some aspect of the cotton harvest during 2014. While cotton harvest mechanization might reduce the need for state-mobilized labor for manual cotton picking, it is unclear what impact it may have on those for whom the cash earned from picking cotton is an important part of their livelihood. This report presents the findings of a social impact assessment on cotton harvest mechanization. The study aimed to (i) to assess the ex-ante social impact of the policy to mechanize cotton harvesting on cotton pickers and vulnerable private farmers; and (ii) to identify ways to mitigate the policy’s potential negative impacts on these groups and to make these reforms more acceptable to them. The assessment is based on the collection and analysis of qualitative data and two background studies. Data were gathered in four regions that vary in terms of labor scarcity, area of land under cotton, cotton production conditions, and experience with mechanization.
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