The History of Irrigated Farming in Central Fergana Deserts (On The Example of 1951-1970)

Abstract

Irrigation has historically played a pivotal role in transforming arid regions into productive agricultural zones, particularly within the Soviet Union’s strategic development plans across Central Asia. The Central Fergana desert region of Uzbekistan witnessed extensive irrigation efforts between 1951 and 1970, aimed at supporting cotton cultivation as part of the USSR’s broader economic agenda. Despite the importance of these interventions, comprehensive historical analyses of the organizational structures, financial mechanisms, and infrastructural advancements behind the Central Fergana irrigation projects remain limited. This study aims to examine the Soviet Union’s irrigation and land reclamation strategies in Central Fergana by analyzing archival materials and historical records, with a focus on the establishment and evolution of the Inter-Collective Farm Council and the construction of key water infrastructure. The findings reveal that the development of irrigation in Central Fergana was largely driven by collective farm investments and coordinated through specialized institutions such as “Ferganavodstroy.” The initiative progressed in three phases, culminating in the construction of the Great Andijan Canal, which significantly enhanced the irrigation capacity for over 140,000 hectares of land. This research highlights the Central Fergana irrigation campaign as a unique case where decentralized labor and financial resources from collective farms were mobilized for large-scale state-directed agricultural modernization. The study offers valuable insights into the socio-economic and institutional dynamics of Soviet-era land management, providing a historical precedent for current and future irrigation strategies in similarly arid and resource-dependent regions.