Development of Agriculture among the Kyrgyz in the 20th - Early 21st Century

Annual Cycle of Agricultural Work

The most common practice was crop rotation with two-year and three-year fallow periods.

Crop rotations with fallow periods of four to six years or more were also quite common (History of the Kyrgyz SSR. 1986. Vol. 2. p. 120).

Experienced farmers tried to maintain their cultivated fields in good condition. For this purpose, they fertilized the plots with manure, spreading it before plowing.

In early spring, the village elders determined the readiness of the soil and the onset of favorable weather conditions for the start of sowing, saying: “The earth has warmed up and is ready for sowing, we can begin plowing.” The advice of folk accountants, the эсепчи, was taken into account, who indicated specific days for the start of sowing (Toktakunova, 2008. p. 13).

Plowing was carried out using a буурсун - a draft tool consisting of a frame with a metal plowshare and a wooden beam to which a yoke was attached. The depth of plowing was up to 8-10 cm, while the width depended on the size of the plowshare and the width of the lower part of the frame. “Men plow, while women drive and urge the oxen and horses. Both sexes harvest” (Zeland, 1885. p. 23).

In the late 19th to early 20th century, the Russian plow gradually replaced the буурсун. Thus, in 1913, there were 3,114 plows among the Kyrgyz of the Przhevalsky district (Materials... 1916. p. 446), and in the Zaukinsky volost, alongside 447 буурсунs, there were 287 iron plows (Life of Collective Farmers... 1958).

Sometimes, for more uniform soil loosening, cross plowing was used: the same plot was plowed 2-3 times along and across. This method is typical for all Central Asian agriculture (Bezhkovich, 1973. p. 46). Rainfed fields were first sown with seeds and only then plowed.

Sowing was done either on horseback or on foot, scattering seeds by hand, usually inviting experienced sowers. Seeds intended for sowing, урук, уроон, were measured using a felt hat (колпак), a tobacco cup, or a bag (Алымбектин санжырасы. 2007. p. 65, 66).

Harrowing the plowed and seeded areas completed the first stage of spring field work.

Several types of simple tools (made from large branches of чычырканака or долоно, etc.) used to gather scattered grain were collectively referred to as “мала.” Harrowing was also done using a log (жыгач мала) or a plow laid on its side. In the early 20th century, other tools began to be replaced by wooden harrows with metal rods as teeth, which became the predecessors of metal harrows that were widely used in collective and state farms during the Soviet era. Such harrows were usually purchased (exchanged) or ordered from craftsmen.

Weeding was done 1-2 times a season by hand, and sickles (орок) were also used. Birds were driven away with stones and scared off by setting up scarecrows (каракчы) made from old clothes. Harvesting was done with sickles (орок) - initially made from sheep jaw with a handle; from the 1860s-1870s, metal sickles appeared (Bezhkovich, 1973). Bundles (боо) were transported on a sled (чийне) in the mountains, and on a cart (арбе) in the plains. In the harvest and haymaking, women and teenagers actively participated alongside men. For threshing, a post (мама) with a ring (чамбирек) was set up in the middle of the threshing floor, to which up to 8-10 or more oxen were sequentially tied. They were driven in a circle, usually with boys riding horses. If threshing was done using horses, no special device was needed: a person (usually a teenager) held the reins (чылбыр) and drove the horses around with a long whip. The threshing floor was used by the entire community: after one group finished threshing and sifting, another group would start working.

Threshing was accompanied by a number of rituals, as it was believed that the threshing floor must be visited by Баба дыйкан or Кыдыр-Ата. The cult of Баба дыйкан - the mythical patron of farmers - was widespread. In some areas of the Osh region, Баба дыйкан is the oldest and most revered person who “starts” the sowing, marking the beginning of spring field work. The patron of workers and travelers is Saint Хызр - one of the most revered figures among many Eastern peoples (Basilov, 1970. p. 22-25), known to the Kyrgyz as Кыдыр-Ата or Кызыр (Хызр), who brings abundance, luck, and well-being. In the Osh region, it is said that “Хызр is a saint, the patron of the brave and valiant.” Every man may meet him three times in his life. He can become fortunate if he recognizes Хызр-Ата three times and says: “Ассалоом Алейкум!” There is a belief among the Kyrgyz that Хызр can appear in the form of an animal, so it is important not to miss the opportunity to ask for his blessing. If a person is lucky in this, their life may change for the better.

Хызр meets only those young men (жигит) who are at peace with their conscience and have good intentions.

Women can also meet Saint Хызр, but only the chosen ones, and this is a rare occurrence. The Kyrgyz say that to recognize him, one must touch the thumb of the right hand, as this finger has no bone - this is the distinguishing mark of Кыдыр-Ата (Basilov, 1970. p. 12-25; Toktakunova, 2007. p. 285-289). To perform the ritual, people dressed only in clean clothes after performing ablution (даарат) and worked while singing the song “Оп майда”: Oroy-oroy, on май-да, / Oroo tolсун, on майда, / Orokchunun baldary / Nanga toysun, on майда. / Kyrcha, kyrcha baskanyц / Kyrman tolсун, on майда, / Kyrmanchynyn baldary / Nanga toysun, on майда, / Oroy, oroy, on майда! (May the grain pit be full, / And the children of the reaper have enough bread. / Thresh with all your might! / May the threshing floor be filled, / And the children of the thresher have enough to eat).

With the help of a two-pronged эки ача айры or five-pronged бешилик вилы, straw was tossed aside, grain was gathered with a wooden shovel (жыгач курок), and winnowed using a сапы-рышкан. For cleaning, the grain was sifted through a sieve (калбыр).

Clean, dry grain was gathered into bags (кап) and stored in pits (ороо), watched over by the ороо байт (Алымбектин санжырасы. 2007. p. 65, 66).

Grain was ground on a hand mill (саргылчак), which was found in almost every home, or at a water mill (суу тегирмен) located by mountain rivers. At home, a hollowed-out log mortar (соку) with a pestle (сок билек) was used for grinding grain.

In poor households, only family members harvested and threshed. Wealthy people used hired labor, which was compensated with natural payments or by providing milking or transport animals for a certain period (Oral data collected by S.I. Ilyasov. RF IYAL NAA KR. Inv. No. 1545). Collective forms of labor - алгоо and ашар - were also common. Алгоо “usually expressed in that 2-3, and sometimes 4-5 owners pooled their means of production” and cultivated each other's land plots together, regardless of “what means they contributed to the common work.” In the case of ашар, the owner called relatives and neighbors to help him, and after the work, he arranged a feast for all participants (Bezhkovich, 1973. p. 68).

Development of Agriculture in the 20th - Early 21st Century

During the Soviet era, agriculture became an important sector of Kyrgyzstan's economy. The industry began to use combines, tractors, and other types of agricultural machinery, as well as agronomic advancements. The range of agricultural crops grown in the republic significantly expanded. In the southern regions, cotton and tobacco began to be predominantly cultivated. In the Chui Valley, significant successes were achieved in beet cultivation. High yields of cereal crops were characteristic of the collective and state farms in the eastern part of Issyk-Kul. In mountainous areas, agriculture still played a secondary role, serving the livestock sector. Towards the end of the Soviet period, due to the increase in livestock numbers in several regions, the structure of crops was changing - for example, a shift from wheat sowing to feed barley.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, collective farms were abolished, and private plots were allocated during privatization, where many began to cultivate various agricultural crops, mastering the intricacies of agronomy.

Kyrgyz irrigation technology - irrigation