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Paper abstract:

This paper focuses on the current changes in cotton farming practices in south-western Tajikistan where Soviet agriculture left a legacy of depleted soil and water shortages - resulting from the excessive use of mineral fertilisers and intensive irrigation. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, traditional intensive cotton cultivation in Tajikistan was maintained by various state mechanisms. Following the events of the past two years, farmer customary practices have proved untenable, and the application of expensive mineral fertilisers in large quantities to produce high yields has proved uneconomical. In light of the constraints resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and recent developments between Ukraine and Russia, which is a major producer and supplier of mineral fertilisers, prices for fertilisers have significantly increased, requiring farmers to seek alternative ways of growing cotton. Increasingly farmers are turning to organic farming to reduce production costs. Elderly farmers do not view organic farming as a new development but rather as means of returning to their historical farming practices as practiced during the early years of the Soviet Union when farmers applied organic fertilisers and biological methods of pest control. This research reports qualitative and quantitative data contrasting conventional and organic cotton farmers during an eight-month of field trip during 2021 and 2022 in major cotton growing areas of south-western Tajikistan. The research findings provide insights into the current economic, social and environmental developments in the cotton sector of Tajikistan.