Servicing Transformation

In this thesis, the author examines the role of agricultural service organisations in the rural transformation processes in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan has experienced a chain of agricultural reforms since 1991. Studying agricultural service providers offered a unique window into these processes. Agricultural service organisations apart from providing services (i.e. provision of fertilisers, seeds, machinery), fulfil many other socio-political functions. Agricultural service organisations also act as a social security net for their personnel. The analysis reveals that agrarian transformation has produced three types of service organizations, which differ in their distance from and importance for the government and the state procurement system. This distance has implications for their autonomy, market orientation and potential for their long-term sustainability.