On 26 January 2009, Uzbek President Islam Karimov signed a decree "On the State Programme ’The Year of Development and Prosperity of Villages’".

The document is aimed at boosting efficiency of the economy’s agriculture sector, giving a new strong boost to work on stepping up economic reforms in agriculture, speeding up the process of setting up modern enterprises on processing agricultural products, securing the growth of employment in villages, primarily, among young people, and improving villagers’ incomes and quality of life.

In line with the decree, one of the main fields of the government’s policy for this year will be further developing and strengthening legislative and legal basis aimed at fully supporting interests of villagers.

A special attention will be paid to developing construction in villages.