Horticultural and melon-growing traditions among the karakalpaks

Abstract

The article raises the problem of the development of traditional agriculture branches among the Karakalpaks – horticulture and melon growing. The purpose of the article is to consider the features of traditional agrarian practices among the Karakalpaks, their significance in the modern life of the people, and the identification of transformations in them. To build a fuller picture, the methods and skills accumulated by the people and allowing them to engage successfully in agriculture have been analyzed. The include the centuries-old experience of using the irrigation system in the Amu Darya delta, leaching, soil fertilization, the use of various technologies by the local population in cultivating the land, types of fruit crops, an agricultural calendar which was used to determine agricultural work, a phenological calendar that predicts the weather. The study showed that the natural and geographical features of Karakalpakstan formed their own agricultural culture among the inhabitants of the region and contributed to the development of certain skills in this industry, thanks to which it was possible to obtain high yields. In addition to analyzing literary sources, the author draws on his own field materials, which were collected during an ethnographic expedition to the areas with the most developed agrarian traditions. The obtained information provided an opportunity to trace the development of horticulture and melon growing, the impact of the ecological crisis on these branches of management, to identify the features of traditional agricultural skills and knowledge, and demonstrate their importance in the modern life of Karakalpaks.