Visit to “Soil Doctor” Projects in Golestan Province

 The Global “Soil Doctor” Programme (GSDP), aimed at promoting sustainable soil management (SSM), is currently being implemented under the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The project is being carried out in cooperation with the Soil and Water Research Institute (SWRI), the Deputy of Water and Soil (WSD), and the Central Organization for Rural Cooperatives of Iran (CORC).

Approximately 90 hectares are currently under the project’s activities in Golestan Province as the pilot region, led by the Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Golestan Province.

 To monitor the progress and plan for the next phases, a two-day visit was held on April 13–14 with the presence of Dr. Davaatgar (Director General of the Soil Affairs Office), Dr. Rezaei (Deputy for Research and Technology at the SWRI), Dr. Roshani (Head of the Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Golestan Province), and Engineer Tabatabaei (Representative of the CORC).On the first day, a meeting was held with the participation of national and local authorities, during which Dr. Mallah, the national promoter of the GSDP in Iran, presented a report on the activities carried out so far. Interviews were then conducted with pioneered farmers and technical experts, serving respectively as "Soil Doctors" and "Trainers"s.

On the second day, site visits were conducted to the farms of Seyed Miran, and Vahdat Eslami, and Resalat in Aq Qala County.