The Environments and the Farming of the Caspian Sea Coast in Iran

Abstract

Owing to the request of the Royal Estate Administration of Iran to the Japanese Ambassador in Teheran to establish the Japanese model farm on the coast of Caspian Sea, I have had an opportunity to investigate the said area and write a report, which was published recently by the Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Here I would like to point out the characteristics of the natural, socio-economic environments and the land use and farm managements of this region.The natural environments of this region are quite different from that of the rest of Iran called the Arid Iran. Topographically, this region is consisted largely of fans which were shaped by rivers from the Elburz Mountains and the bulk of it is not only comparatively flat but also very low so that it lies below the surface of the Black Sea. Climatically this region belongs to the Mediterranean climatical type, although the amount of rainfall amounts from 1000 to 1500mm, which is far less than that of the general. Mediterranean type. This region represents a special Mediterranian type and is called the Moist Iran. Consequently the vegitation is particular, that is the Hyrcanian type.The socio-economic environments have been changing remarkably. The market within the region is very important, because the population of this limited area occupies nearly one fifth of the total population of Iran and the density of population is about eight times bigger than that of the whole Iran. The outside market also has a considerable influence. From the viewpoint of trade this region had close relation with Russia, but after the Second War the main market has been switched off to the part of Iran on the south of the Elburz Mountains owing to the opening of motor-roads as well as a railway across the Mountains and to the substantial change in international relations.Mainly due to the differences of natural environments, the land use of this region is quite different from that of the rest of Iran. Its characteristics are first the predominance of paddy field, and, secondly, the complexity of crops, that is rice as maincrop and wheat, barley, cotton, oranges, mulberry, tea, tobacco, jute, etc. The land use within the region is made different according to the climatical conditions.The peculiarities of the farming of this region are: (1) sharecropping system, (2) small scale farming, (3) full-time farming, (4) predominance of crop production and lack of animal husbandry on farm management, (5) specialization of farming, (6) production for marketing, (7) intensive farming, (8) higher productivity as compared to the average Iranian standard, (9) stationariness of productivity.Consequently, it is at present a serious problem to the development of the Iranian economy how to overcome the stationariness of productivity. Means to attain this objective will be, I think, mainly the reform of land system, the improvement and extention of agricultural technology and the development of rural community projects.