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Some Facts About Kazakhstan » Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the largest landlocked country, stretching through Central Asia and into Eastern Europe. » Ethnically and culturally diverse » The country is making progress toward developing a market economy » Has ex per ienced sig n if icant economic growth since 2000, partly due to its large oil, gas and mineral reserves. Energy is the leading economic sector. » D emo c r ac y ha s not g a i ned much g round since 1991. In 2007, Kazkhstan’s parliament passed a law granting President Nazarbayev lifetime powers and privileges, immunity from criminal prosecution and inf luence over domestic and foreign policy. » Over the course of his 20 years i n p o w e r, Na z a r b ay e v h a s repeatedly censored the press through arbitrary use of “privacy” laws and refused demands that the governors of Kazkhstan’s 14 provinces be elected, rather than appointed by the president. » K a z a k h s t a n i s of f ic i a l l y a president ia l republ ic but displays strong author itar ian characteristics. » Is equivalent to the size of Western Europe, with Russia to its north, China to its southeast, the Caspian Sea to its west and is bordered to the south by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
First calf Canadian heifers on the range at the Dinara Ranch
scratch, he adds. Government subsidies offered to increase cattle production are offered only to those with an existing herd of 100 or more cows, says Guilford. It is encouraging larger operations to go more large-scale. The subsidies are encouraging groups with money to invest in land and cattle, even if they come to the enterprise with no farm background.
About 600 horses graze the ranch year-round. Horsemeat has traditionally been the preferred meat in Kazakhstan. The smaller producers who come from the communal farms have no established equity and only a little land and therefore have no choice but to become employees of the larger landowners, according to Guilford. These producers are looking for ways to advance but there is no market system in place in which to sell their livestock. The breakdown of the old communist
» Educat ion i s u n iver sa l a nd m a nd at or y t h r oug h t o t he secondary level and the adult literacy rate is 99.5%. » Due to their nomadic heritage and culture, the Kazakhs are passionate about horse riding and still have great interest in equestrianism and horse racing. » Grain and l ivestock are it s most impor tant ag r icult ural commodities.
Wild horses, which are harvested for consumption 70
system has left many land squatters who have foraged an existence for themselves with small tracts of land. Those who were higher up along the chain of command found jobs in the closest cities. Neither has there been a system to culture young people with marketable skills or production knowledge in the countryside. “While cattle rearing is essentially in their blood and they know how
to manage the health and welfare of cattle, the technical side of production eludes them and they are now racing to catch up with the technology used in the rest of the developed world,” says Guilford. Stephenson describes the Kazakhs as largely of Mongolian heritage, descending from nomadic tribes. He says they are a very friendly people.