The Map and the Manap : decentralization in the pastures of the Kyrgyz Republic

Abstract

This paper looks at the 2009 implementation of The Law on Pastures in the Kyrgyz Republic. This law called for the development of local pasture management committees tasked with reforming and streamlining the process of leasing out state-owned pastures for livestock grazing. Using data collected through interviews, participant observation, and archival research in a village in the northern Kyrgyz Republic, this paper explores how The Law on Pastures fits in to the historical continuum of pasture management regimes in the Kyrgyz Republic, how it devolves the power to manage pastures to the village government, and how the implementation of law might lead to improvements in the use of pasture resources.