Iran, FAO launch project to boost sustainable dryland farming

An official with Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture announced that the government and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have launched a joint project to identify sustainable farming methods and boost productivity in dryland agriculture.

Speaking on the verges of the First National Conference of the joint project between Iran and FAO, Faramak Aziz-Karimi said the project is being implemented in four provinces of East Azarbaijan, Ardabil, Hamedan and Kurdistan with the aim of increasing production sustainability on drylands of the country.

He added that the Iran-FAO joint project has been implemented since the beginning of the crop year with Maragheh, located in the northwestern East Azarbaijan province, being the first city.

Aziz-Karimi, who is the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture for Basic Products and Grains Affairs, further pointed to the 20 percent reduction in rainfalls in the country this year, noting that production share can be increased using the latest updates of domestic and foreign researchers.