Interview with Vladislava Alaytseva, Uzbekistani-born immigrant to Dallas, Texas, for the DFW Metroplex Immigrants Oral History Project. The interview includes Alaytseva's personal experiences of childhood in Uzbekistan, moving to the U.S., transitioning to the American school system, her first impressions the U.S., and the culture shock in America. Additionally, Alaytseva talks about the transition of Uzbekistan from a Soviet satellite to an independent Muslim nation, her mother's family in Russia, the differentiation between being ethnically Russian or Uzbekistani, the definition of "culture," the comparison of life in Uzbekistan and the U.S., and the elements of Uzbekistani culture brought to America.

Agriculture (as measured by share of gross domestic product and employment) is a significant economic sector in seven Central and South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. All of these countries are net food importers. Some have experienced successive years of drought, which has contributed to noticeable declines in agricultural output and the need to increase commodity imports. The United Nations’ World Food Program reports that both Afghanistan and Tajikistan are currently in need of emergency food assistance to cover sizable food deficits. The food outlook in Afghanistan is made uncertain by ongoing military conflict.