In Jizzakh, where Uzbek cotton fields stretch across the landscape, a two-day workshop in May 2026 brought farmers and labour advocates into a room to talk about something often overlooked: their own rights and safety. Organized by the International Labour Organization within the RISE for Impact project, the gathering on 19–20 May assembled cotton growers from Dustlik and Syrdarya districts alongside representatives from government, unions and agricultural institutions to discuss five fundamental labour principles that shape decent work everywhere.
The workshop mattered because Uzbekistan's cotton sector—one of the country's largest employers—had long needed deeper conversations about worker dignity. Cotton picking is physically demanding work, often seasonal and precarious. The farmers and agricultural workers who gathered in Jizzakh came to learn and share about freedom of association, collective bargaining rights, occupational safety, transparent hiring practices and wage transparency. These are not abstract concepts; they shape whether someone can organize with peers, whether they work in safe conditions, and whether they know what they'll earn.
The two days wove together presentations, group exercises and structured dialogue. Agronomist Alisher Saydaliyev, Khasan Buriev from Tashkent State Agrarian University, and researchers from the Cotton Breeding and Seed Production and Agrotechnology Research Institute shared expertise on current practices. Shodier Murtozov of Agrobank brought the financial angle. But the strongest voices in the room came from the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan. Ruslan Rakhmanov, Deputy Head of the Department for Protection of Socio-Economic Interests of Workers, discussed ongoing labour reforms. Shohida Begimkulova, Head of the Department for Protection of Socio-Economic Interests of the Republican Council of the Trade Union of Agro-Industrial Complex Workers, spoke specifically about protecting cotton farmers' rights.
One discussion proved unexpectedly galvanizing: agricultural insurance. Farmers asked urgent questions about crop protection against natural disasters—hail, frost, drought—and how to access compensation. Uzbekistan has recently introduced new insurance mechanisms, and participants wanted to understand coverage details, procedures and what support was actually available to them. This wasn't theoretical; it was survival. A ruined harvest can mean financial ruin for families dependent on cotton income.
The workshop also emphasized women's participation in agricultural production, recognizing that women often do much of the labour in cotton fields yet have less say in decisions affecting their work. Participants discussed grievance mechanisms—pathways for workers to raise concerns without fear—and transparent recruitment, countering long-standing practices where hiring could be opaque or exploitative.
By the workshop's end, participants left with certificates and information materials in Uzbek language, covering the five fundamental labour principles in accessible language. These materials were designed not as one-time handouts but as seeds for ongoing awareness-raising in their communities, meant to reach cotton pickers, agricultural workers and local institutions long after the workshop ended.
This gathering represents a shift in how Uzbekistan approaches its cotton sector: not just as an economic engine, but as a place where labour rights, safety and dignity must be woven into the daily work of farming. The ILO and its partners are betting that when farmers understand their rights, and when those rights are supported by organized labour and government dialogue, sustainable practices and resilience follow.