The cotton-based production system in Uzbekistan was analysed using the example of the Khorezm region, a typical cotton production region in this country, between 2000 and 2009. The results show that in Khorezm, the Soviet scheme of cotton production, i.e. cotton mono-cropping without rotation for six years or more, was to a large extend replaced by rotation systems which widely follow the Uzbek national recommendations. General statements on continuous mono-cropping practices in the post-Soviet phase, which are linked to unsustainable production and soil degradation, were falsified by the findings of this case study. In other words, the on-going soil degradation in the region cannot be blamed on a significant cotton mono-cropping practice any more. As recently underscored (Martius and Lamers, 2015), distorted discourses and unsupported narratives about the underlying factors render making problem definition difficult, and unnecessarily complicate the identification of solutions. In order to improve the ecological performance and agricultural productivity, first a correct understanding of the causes is essential.