THE IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOMES OF AGRARIAN REFORMS IN NAVOI REGION DURING THE YEARS OF UZBEKISTAN’S INDEPENDENCE (1991–2021)

The article analyses the stages, mechanisms and outcomes of agrarian reforms in Navoi Region during the first thirty years of Uzbekistan’s independence (1991–2021). Methods. Institutional, historical, comparative and source-critical approaches were applied to the scholarly literature, legislative acts and official statistical publications, which were cross-checked against one another. Results. The reforms proceeded gradually, with state ownership of land retained: collective and state farms were transformed first into shirkat (cooperative) farms and then into private farm enterprises, while the state order for cotton and wheat continued to restrict producers’ autonomy until the late 2010s. The abolition of the state order, the introduction of the cluster system and the Agriculture Development Strategy in 2017–2021 accelerated the transition to market mechanisms and brought significant changes in crop diversification, the elimination of forced labour and water saving. At the same time, salinization, water scarcity and problems of rural employment and income have not been fully resolved. Conclusion. Agrarian reforms in Navoi Region fundamentally changed institutional forms, but their economic effect was conditioned by the sequencing of reforms, the persistence of state control and natural-resource constraints.