Specialized Seminar on Water Scarcity and the Development of Pistachio Cultivation at Ardakan University
Specialized Seminar on Water Scarcity and the Development of Pistachio Cultivation Held at Ardakan University
According to the Public Relations and International Affairs Office of Ardakan University, a specialized seminar entitled “The Water Scarcity Crisis and the Development of Pistachio Cultivation in Yazd Province” was held at Ardakan University. The event was attended by professors, experts, students, industry owners, pistachio farmers, and orchardists from across Yazd Province.
The seminar, conducted in the format of an academic-extension panel, featured Professor Bekir Erol Ak, Chair of the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Harran University, Turkey. Professor Ak, a renowned international expert in pistachio production, participated virtually and responded to questions from attendees throughout the session.
During this well-attended seminar, Dr. Mohammadreza Vazifeh Shenas provided valuable insights into the current status of pistachio production in Iran and worldwide, as well as the impacts of climate change. Dr. Vazifeh Shenas, a faculty member of the Agricultural Research and Education Center of Yazd Province, highlighted that by 2040, several countries including Iran will face severe water crises. He further noted that, under current conditions, pistachio production efficiency in Yazd Province exceeds the national average, with an annual output of 60,000 tons.
The speaker emphasized that Yazd, with over 58,000 hectares of pistachio orchards, ranks third in pistachio production in Iran after Kerman and Razavi Khorasan provinces. He offered various strategies for the conservation and expansion of pistachio cultivation in Yazd.
Following this, Dr. Kazem Kamali, a faculty member at Yazd University, expressed his support for expanding pistachio cultivation in Yazd Province. He argued that pistachio trees, being highly tolerant to environmental stresses and having a long cultivation history in Iran and Yazd, represent the best pathway to sustaining the agricultural livelihood of the province.
Continuing the session, Dr. Maryam Dehestani Ardakani, Associate Professor of the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Ardakan University, discussed several challenges faced by pistachio growers in Ardakan. She identified key problems such as water scarcity and salinity, soil salinity, extreme summer heat, warmer winters leading to insufficient chilling hours for the trees, air pollution, and the incompatibility of some commercial pistachio cultivars with the local climate.
The seminar was attended by Dr. Ahmad Fattahi, President of Ardakan University, members of the university’s executive board, the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Director of Research and Technology, the Head of the Agricultural Research and Education Center of Yazd Province, the Director of the Pistachio Research Center of Ardakan County, as well as other faculty members from Ardakan University and the Agricultural Research and Education Center. Participants shared their insights and proposals to address the issues discussed.
