In a small greenhouse in Uzbekistan’s Fergana region, rows of tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh herbs grow under plastic covers stretched across a modest plot. For farmer and beekeeper O‘lmasjon Jumayev, the greenhouse has become a stable source of income, expanded gradually over more than a decade.
“We started with a small greenhouse built through a 5 million soum (€370) preferential loan,” Jumayev said. “At first, it was just 70 square metres. Then we expanded step by step.”
He began greenhouse farming in 2013. Over time, the family expanded into vegetable production and beekeeping. What started with a few beehives has now grown into nearly 1,000 bee colonies.
“We never stay unemployed,” he added. “We create work for ourselves, and it supports our household.”
Small-scale entrepreneurship has become a central part of Uzbekistan’s poverty reduction efforts, combining social support programmes with job creation and household business development, according to the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction
