We drove Kyrgyzstan roads to get to our various tour stops. But for me, it was an excellent opportunity to observe some of their farming practices. Agriculture comprises about 20% of Kyrgyzstan’s GDP but about half of their total labor force. While only about seven percent of the land involves heavy agriculture crops, some 45% can sustain some amount of pasture for livestock.

Agriculture has high hurdles to overcome after Russian control. Land had to be redistributed which is never an easy task. Families who farmed before Russian control may now get their land back but not know how to farm. Russia took an area with all sorts of crops and orchards and vineyards and tore it all out to have central Asia just grow cotton for the USSR. Now, these countries have to replant all the crops that they want and have loved since the dawn of time. It all makes for a long and difficult road but from what I could see, these countries are making good progress. Also, cotton takes lots of water and all the cotton dried up several rivers such as the two that used to feed the Aral Sea – now going dry. So now water ownership and distribution are also major issues in these countries since they are now separate countries and not just all part of the USSR.

The first two photos are just to give you a glimpse at two different agricultural areas that we visited. They were growing a variety of crops and also had some animals grazing.

The third photo is to show the water canals that the Russians installed. Our guides were very clear that any time we saw the concrete lined irrigation ditches, they were from the Russian times. There were lots of concrete irrigation ditches.

The fourth photo shows the value of irrigation and the starkness of this area without irrigation. It might also be worth noting that the rivers, lakes, and oasis areas were where the silk road went. It might have alternately been called the “water road” since there would have been no trading through this area without the water spots.

The last photo was approaching the Kazakhstan border. This posting marks the end of our time in Kyrgyzstan. We loved our time in Kyrgyzstan.