Julia Eckert, Georg Elwert (1996):
Land Tenure in Uzbekistan

2.2.1 "Those who can work": Criteria for determining qualified applicants.

In order to obtain the licence to found a Dehkhan an applicant has to fulfill certain criteria. Those criteria vary from district to district but are generally described as: "He has to be able" and "he has to work well". [FN 48] These rather vague formulations are given content and meaning by the people in charge of the distribution. According to several Hokhims land will be distributed to those of whom they know that they can work well, that they have produced high yields in the past, that they are experienced. "If five people want the same land it will be given to the most experienced." [FN 49] The personal acquaintance with the Hokhim thus becomes an important factor in obtaining a lease. The belonging to a social network may well ease access to land. Such networks can be based on kinship ties, common school or other biographical experience, or regional and ethnic links. Such cases would be difficult to prove. In one case we observed a bias against nationalities "prone to drink". [FN 50]

Another criteria which became apparent was the number of sons. Farmers without sons could not obtain private farms, [FN 51] even if they came from successful farming families. [FN 52] Some farmers who were interested in founding a Dehkhan but had no sons saw this as a valid handicap themselves. All Dehkhan farmers I met had at least two sons. This is surprising since women are strongly involved in the agricultural work. Over 50 % of agricultural workers are women. [FN 53] The work in the family plots around the houses is mainly done by the women of the family. Rural women are also less likely to have a job outside the family house and if, they mainly work on the kolkhozes.

Most districts also have the rule that the applicant has to be a full time professional farmer. [FN 54] Firstly, he is expected to have the experience of a professional farmer, and secondly, he is supposed to spend his time entirely on the land, not diverting it to other jobs. In many cases though, members of the administration were the first (and sometimes the only) ones to found a private farm. [FN 55] Some were planning to keep their position in the administration. All were sure that they would be granted more than 10 ha, even in those kolkhozes which claimed to have not enough land for more Dehkhans.

Other farmers, too, had other jobs as well as their agricultural enterprise. They employed workers who had no land themselves.

These practices were criticised by agricultural workers. There was a general agreement that people should only receive as much land as they could work themselves with the help of their families. Amassing of land was seen as indecent; the development of a gap between "landowners" and landless labourers was considered an anachronism which had been overcome by socialism. [FN 56]

The beginnings of landlessness can be recognised. Kolkhoz or sovkhoz workers who have not received a Shirkat lease or private land and who do not even hold shares will become landless labourers or enter a process of proletarisation.