Why did the Soviet Union grow cotton?

Why did the Soviet Union grow cotton?

Cotton was necessary, not only for clothing but also for weapon production. Leaders determined that the USSR was too dependent on cotton imports, so they selected Uzbekistan and Central Asia to hopefully lead the world in cotton production. Land used for food production was conscripted for the cotton crop.

Why is cotton important to Central Asia?

The emphasis on intensive cotton cultivation in the Amudarya and Syrdarya basin countries has played a major role in the drying and polluting of the Aral Sea because of the large amounts of water and fertilizer used in cotton cultivation.

Why is cotton a poor choice for Central Asia?

Cash wages are minimal, and often paid late or not at all. In most cotton-producing areas, growers are among the poorest elements in society. The depletion of the Aral Sea is the result of intensive irrigation to fuel cotton production. The region around the sea has appalling public health and ecological problems.

How did the Soviets provide water for the cotton plantations?

From the mountainous Chinese border to the Caspian Sea, the Soviet Union remade the two grand rivers of Central Asia, building 20,000 miles of canals, 45 dams and more than 80 reservoirs. The government turned sand and dust into one of the world’s great cotton-growing regions.

Do they grow cotton in Russia?

According to experts of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, cotton yields in the majority of Russian regions are comparable with Uzbek yields, estimated at 9 to 10 bales per hectare and even higher than those of other Central Asian countries. These cotton varieties will be sown in the North Caucasus.

Can Russia grow cotton?

Cotton cultivation in Russia is concentrated in regions with a temperate continental climate (Stavropol, Astrakhan and Volgograd regions). Large-scale cotton growing program is being developed in the Stavropol region.

How does Central Asia’s climate affect its agriculture?

Bobojonov et al. (2012) estimate that during 2040–2070, the climate change may increase agricultural incomes in northern rainfed areas of Central Asia (in some areas by up 50%), and reduce incomes in the southern irrigated areas, especially under the conditions of water scarcity (in some areas by more than 17%).

What is Central Asia’s climate?

Central Asia has a distinctive continental arid and semi-arid climate with hot, cloudless, dry summers and moist, relatively warm winters in the south and cold winters with severe frosts in the north.

What is cotton monoculture?

Cotton Monoculture. Monoculture – cotton grown year after year over a large area – describes much of cotton’s his- tory. This system has evolved because of its profit- ability. Effect on Cotton Yields. Compared to other crops, cotton’s yield response to crop rotations is relatively small.

Is Aral Sea a lake?

Once the fourth-largest freshwater lake in the world, the Aral Sea today is a tenth of its original size. At more than 67,000 sq km (26,000 sq miles), the Aral Sea was once the fourth-largest freshwater lake in the world.

Why was it important for the Soviet Union to grow cotton quizlet?

Why was it important for the Soviet Union to grow cotton? Cotton is an ingredient in gunpowder. How does the current state of the Aral Sea affect public health?

Where is the cotton grown in Russia?