THE CROP DIVERSITY INDEX ANALYSIS: EVIDENCE FROM UZBEKISTAN

The main objective of the study is to analyze the degree and extent of crop diversification among farmers while utilizing econometric models. We calculated the diversification index based on the Simpson diversity index method. The study revealed that the mean computed Simpson Index values indicate that the diversity index was found to be 0.59, 0.45, 0.56 and 0.62 for the Andijan, Karakalpakstan, Kashkadarya and Tashkent regions, respectively. This suggests that the farmers in the study areas were not too diversified in their cropping pattern. Cultivating several crop species also helps the farmers manage both price and production risks, which provides more food options for the household and income through marketing the produce from surpluses.