Since it declared independence in 1991, Kazakhstan’s society and economy have faced tremendous problems. The agriculture industry has been particularly impacted. Venturing into the rural areas of Kazakhstan, one realizes that these areas were completely unprepared for the transformation process, and therefore the hardest hit. The city populations have adjusted rather quickly to the changing situation in comparison to their rural counterparts whose situation continues to degenerate. With the opening of Kazakhstan’s borders, masses of ethnic Germans began emigrating, and the rural areas were no exception. During Soviet times the German population in Kazakhstan’s rural areas were known for their excellent farms and hardworking nature.

Now the rural areas are becoming deserted as most of the able-bodied residents have moved to the cities in search of regular wages. Rural area residence eager to own land when collective property was made available were denied access when large firms bought the grain and cattle-grazing lands, renting it to small farmers. The current situation in rural district centers has deteriorated to the point that water has to be transported in, and its cost averages about $0.06 for 40 liters and water is delivered only twice a week. Electricity is regularly switched-off, and often it is off for the entire day. Central heating in rural areas has been permanently turned-off, and that means that those citizens must use coal or wood for heating purposes.  The lack of water, sporadic electricity, the absence of central heating, and the lack of other communal services often cause illnesses and infectious diseases to emerge, especially among children.

Last year’s flu epidemic in Bulaeva, a district center in the Northern Kazakhstan Region, claimed three lives. Currently in the Northern Kazakhstan Region there is a terrible hepatitis epidemic.A sharp decrease in living standards at rural locations is causing qualified education specialists to leave. Rural schools do not have enough teachers, which further adds to an already stressed educational system. The absence of work has led to a high consumption of alcohol among both the male and female population. Rural populations are becoming alcoholics, and this disease is destroying numerous families.

How can all these problems be solved? In search of an answer, Kazakhstan must continue down the road towards democracy. Without the rural sector, the government and society will not be able to survive. The answer first of all must solve the property rights issue by putting land into private hands. When people own their own land, they will work to feed their families and improve the production process. By allowing rural residents to own land, living standards in these rural areas will increase, production will increase, and once again this population sector will provide support, instead of problems, for a government in need of citizen support.

Andrei Emelin, Information Specialist, Northern Kazakstan Chamber of Commerce and Industry