Without plov, the list of Central Asia’s cultural heritage is incomplete. With one small addition—rice must be from Uzgen. Mentions of cultivating this unusual type of rice date back to the 3rd century BCE, the era of the Davan Empire. The city of U, today’s Shorobasat, was the second capital of this ancient country. Written mentions of Uzgen rice have been preserved from the 18th century, from the time of the Kokand khanate. It was famous in the Arab world, where it was called “devzire,” which means in free translation “the best, good for the stomach.” It is also known as “God’s teeth,” because its cultivation is extremely demanding.
Today Shorobasat is a sleepy, agricultural village with dusty roads, surrounded by fields where almost everything is built out of sun-dried brick. It is a typical image of rural poverty in southern Kyrgyzstan. I do not know whether it was the arrival of a “delegation” from the capital Bishkek, but when the family of Osmonali Satybaldiev and Alymkan Argymbajeva welcomed us in their yard, there was no litter anywhere, everything was clean, orderly, and carefully swept. After the traditional handwashing and over a cup of tea, we got to why we had come. In the meantime, the mentioned plov was already cooking.
In Central Asia, in that fascinating, still “white” place on the map, we have been working for some time. As always with development work in the field, in-depth knowledge of the socio-cultural environment and respect for traditions is irreplaceable. Without that, any collaboration would be at best a one-way matter. We had the honor of being asked for help by the farmers themselves through their relatives in the north of the country.
Kyrgyzstan is among the smallest countries in Central Asia. Unlike neighboring states (for example, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan), it has limited natural wealth and therefore one of the least competitive economies among countries of the former Soviet Union. Today, more than 50 percent of the population there live below the poverty line. Political instability, rising poverty, potential ethnic conflicts, the porous border with Tajikistan, and the practically closed border with Uzbekistan are sources of conflict that threaten overall regional stability. Poverty and limited opportunities paralyze economic growth especially in the south, where isolation, problematic borders, lack of investments, and ethnic differences are a serious issue.
Kyrgyzstan is clearly divided into a northern and a southern part, not only by the mountain range of Tian Shan. It is a historical divide with different development paths, visible at first glance. The north is more developed, with higher levels of education and investment, as well as greater interest from foreign donors. The difference is in infrastructure, technologies, healthcare, and the overall standard of life of residents. In the north are the capital Bishkek and the wealthy city in Kazakhstan, Almaty, a common destination for migrants. Here is also the tourist magnet—Lake Issyk Kul.
The south, in contrast, represents a relatively isolated part of the territory, with persistent ethnic tension, especially in border regions. Families in the south are traditionally large, dependent on agriculture. Income opportunities are limited. Women are poorly represented in decision-making positions and their situation is worsening. This also applies to girls, whose illiteracy is increasing and who are missing from the school system. In the south there is stronger religious influence, and more and more young people are becoming orthodox Muslims, which is an unusual trend among Kyrgyzs.
Men often leave for work to Russia, Kazakhstan, or even Iran and the United Arab Emirates, which causes even greater economic decline. It is also the reason for family breakdowns, the phenomenon of single mothers, and a growing number of homeless children. On top of all this, this part of the country is more exposed to natural disasters such as earthquakes and landslides. Since the emergence of the independent republic, southern Kyrgyzstan has moved back, for various reasons, by around 50 years.
Threatened Tradition
But how is good plov related to development aid? Very closely. Rice cultivation is an age-old source of sustenance for local farmers. Its endangerment means widespread impoverishment of the population. That is a clear development issue. Yet the Kyrgyzs came to us with a different motive. They want to preserve traditional Uzgen rice, which represents pride for them, an inheritance from their ancestors, and their identity. It may no longer be considered a development issue, but it is one. It is the core, hidden behind many consequences.
Uzgen rice is truly different, in appearance and in taste. It has a reddish color and a very full flavor. Its demanding cultivation allows only one harvest per year, while other varieties grown in the region—Uzbek, Chinese—have up to two. Local farmers sell their production at low prices to intermediaries at bazaars, who then resell it with profit all the way to Russia.
It is a closed circle—yields are not enough to cover costs, small farmers have no money to buy machinery and tools, even fertilizers and seeds. They stop growing traditional rice; many even leave villages, leaving behind women and children, who replace their work too. Social structure and stability are breaking down.
This process is happening now. That means, in “development” language, that we are not dealing with a permanently deprived poor population for whom we would seek solutions, but with people who remember “better times.” This negative process needs to be reversed. That is an important starting position.
Under the overarching problem of poverty, in Shorobasat, as in rich broth, an entire range of issues defined by the Millennium Development Goals is unfolding. Besides the problems of poverty and hunger, there is the fact that children miss out on primary school, with girls being the first to drop out so that they can help with housework, since women are taking over men’s work. As a result of gynecological diseases (work in cold water) and worsening healthcare, there is a higher number of deaths in childbirth and increased child mortality.
In addition, there is a whole set of problems connected to migration, conflict zones, lack of access to information, and limited opportunities for qualification, especially in commerce and management.
In Shorobasat, on arrival, a farming family showed us 10 types of rice that they grow in the surrounding area. Among them was “ak uruk,” real rice. Aktuigun Pazylova, the project manager of the International PANGEA Fund in Bishkek, introduced us to Sanzhar, a local young man who had graduated from university but returned home to help the locals as best he could. Over plov we discussed in Russian possible support from the Slovak side and searched for optimal paths. At the next hectolitre of tea, other farmers whose fate of Uzgen rice was close to their hearts, and who wanted to join the project, also joined us. It was a community of interesting faces where the features of various nationalities could be seen, but they had one thing in common—traces of hard physical work. Sanzhar was to acquaint the assembled community with the project, this time in the Kyrgyz language. The farmers listened very carefully and quietly expressed their questions. We especially need akčubaz; without it, we cannot move forward...
We started implementing the project thanks to financial support from SlovakAid in January of this year. Things took a turn with the fall of the government in Kyrgyzstan and the subsequent violent events, especially in the south of the country, not far from Shorobasat. Life, however, goes on in this ancient land where, for millennia, a hot cocktail of governments, dynasties, explorers, and dictators has mixed.
This autumn we are going to Kyrgyzstan again—no matter what happens—and with us will be experts from Slovakia, who will take soil samples and especially samples of the new rice harvest so it can be genetically examined and defined as a unique variety. In case of success, this will increase its value on the market. Farmers will sell the rice themselves, as they will receive training. They will gain time thanks to the tools and equipment they bought, and above all they will have a new functional rice mill, which is for them alpha and omega in processing the harvest. The farmers will pack the rice themselves and, we hope, also label it with a certificate as genuine and unique rice from Uzgen. Employment and incomes will rise, men will stop going away to earn money. Conditions for women’s work will improve, and children will attend school.
It is possible that not everything will succeed during the two years of the project. Development projects are complex organisms, long-distance runs, and in practice rarely end when the project ends. But in addition to funding we have provided hope. And in Shorobasat there is hope that together we can reverse the reverse trend in development; it is realistic.
Author: Zuzana Jezerská http://www.sccd-sk.org
The article appeared in the bulletin Development Aid - Autumn 2010. It is published by The Platform of Non-governmental Development Organizations (MVRO), which is an association of legal persons—a leading organization of 31 (23 regular members and 8 observers) Slovak NGOs mainly dealing with foreign development and humanitarian aid.