Tehran - A senior Iranian agriculture official has underscored the need for comprehensive watershed management and stronger soil protection, citing soil as a pillar of food security and a major carbon sink essential for confronting climate change.

 

Speaking at a World Soil Day event on Monday, Reza Aflatouni, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Head of the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization, warned that millions of tons of carbon are removed from soil each year through agricultural activities without being replenished.

 

He described this imbalance as a major threat to the country’s soil resources.

 

Aflatouni said the organization is advancing several carbon-sequestration and soil-stabilization projects and urged specialists in land and natural resources to prioritize these efforts.

 

Protecting healthy soil, he added, is vital to fighting desertification, curbing erosion, and maintaining biodiversity.

 

He also pointed to the role of international bodies such as FAO and UNESCO in supporting sustainable land management. Iran, designated by UNESCO to lead the International Center on Integrated Watershed Management for dry and semi-dry regions, carries a significant responsibility, he said.

 

Aflatouni emphasized that large-scale initiatives—including Iran’s one-billion-tree planting program and expanded watershed and aquifer-recharge projects—are essential to increasing carbon stocks and safeguarding natural resources.

 

Integrated watershed management, rigorous monitoring, and community participation, he concluded, are key to ensuring long-term food and environmental security.