DEVELOPMENT OF CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION BETWEEN KAZAKHSTAN AND UZBEKISTAN IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR: PARTICIPANTS, DIRECTIONS, AND CONDITIONS

Abstract

 The article examines cross-border cooperation between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in the agricultural sector as an important factor in the socio-economic development of border regions. Agricultural cooperation affects food security, regional stability, and interstate relations.
The purpose of the study is to identify the key actors of cross-border cooperation between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in the agrarian sector, as well as to assess their contribution to the development of cross-border interaction. Within the framework of the study, the main directions of interaction, the conditions of cooperation and competition, as well as the institutional and infrastructural factors influencing the development of cross-border ties are analyzed.
The scientific significance of the research lies in the application of the concept of “coopetition” (cooperation and competition) to the analysis of cross-border agricultural cooperation. The practical significance of the study may be important for the formation of state policy in the field of cross-border interaction and food security. The methodological basis of the research includes a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The study employs statistical analysis of foreign trade indicators, the comparative-historical method, as well as the case study method. The analysis is based on official statistical data, materials from mass media, expert interviews, regulatory legal acts, and analytical reports of international organizations. As a result of the study, it was established that cross-border agricultural cooperation between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan is developing under conditions that combine mutual benefit and competition. States are the key actors in creating infrastructure and rules of interaction, while business structures, farmers, international organizations, and research institutes shape the practical content of cooperation. Cooperation contributes to the growth of trade turnover, the exchange of agrotechnologies, seeds, and breeding livestock, and joint responses to transboundary threats, including water scarcity and the spread of pests; however, at the same time it generates price competition and socio-economic imbalances.The value of the conducted research lies in the analysis of cross-border agricultural cooperation as a multi-level process. The practical significance of the results consists in the possibility of using them for policies aimed at minimizing the negative effects of competition while simultaneously strengthening the resilience of the border regions of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Funding: This article was prepared within the framework of the targeted
funding program of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic
of Kazakhstan – AP23489647 “Cross-Border Cooperation of Kazakhstan with
Neighboring Countries of Central Asia”.