In the high mountain valleys of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, gravity-flow irrigation systems support the production of grains, fodder, vegetables, herbs, and fruits as well as wood for construction purposes. A majority of the irrigation systems in the Alai and Pamir mountain ranges were constructed by communities of water users prior to or in the decades following the entrance to the region of Tsarist Russia in the late 19th century, though some have been subsequently developed with or without government and non-government organization (NGO) support. The Soviet Union transformed agriculture by collectivizing landholdings and organizing workers into Kolkhozes (collective farms) and Sovkhozes (state farms). These institutions were formally responsible for water distribution and the maintenance of canals, and provided funds to this end. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s land redistribution took place on a village by village basis. Plots of land of different quality and in different locations were allocated to individuals, not households, which resulted in significant variations in household landholdings, both within and across villages.