Productivity Implications of Participation in Export Activities: The Case of Farmers in Talas Oblast of Kyrgyzstan

A regional shift in haricot bean production occurred in Talas Oblast in Kyrgyzstan during the last decade. Almost half of the agricultural land in the region is now dedicated to bean cultivation, primarily for export outside the Central Asian region.

This paper includes an overview of the region, agricultural production and trade statistics, and an empirical analysis of rural household production, with a focus on the land productivity of bean farmers and other micro scale producers.

The analysis is based on the cross-section survey of 297 rural households and analyze agricultural production in Talas Oblast during the 2010-2011 season. A positive correlation exists between the choice to produce beans and higher agricultural output among the sampled households. The location of the land and the altitude zone are important conditions for land productivity and bean productivity in Talas.