CHANGES IN SOIL CONDITIONS AND IRRIGATION SYSTEMS IN THE FERGANA VALLEY DURING SOVIET PERIOD (THE CASE OF ANDIZHAN REGION)

This article examines the Soviet-era transformation of soil conditions and irrigation systems in the Fergana Valley, with a focus on the Andizhan region as a case study. It situates the analysis within broader Soviet agricultural modernization policies, emphasizing the drive for cotton monoculture that restructured the region’s hydro-agricultural systems. Through archival materials and historical accounts, the study demonstrates how extensive irrigation, land reclamation, and canal construction engineered a dual legacy of economic integration and ecological crisis. While these policies boosted cotton yields and consolidated the region’s role in the Soviet economy, they also disrupted hydrological balances, intensified soil salinization, depleted water resources, and accelerated long-term land degradation. The findings underscore the unsustainable trajectory of Soviet modernization in Central Asia and highlight the Andizhan case as a critical lens for understanding the political ecology of irrigation-based agriculture under state socialism.