Iran and US: Two Countries and the Pistachio Between Them
The pistachios sold across the United States have a surprising history: California's trees trace their roots to Iran.
Iran and the United States share a unique connection in the world of pistachio production, despite the geographical distance between the two countries. The pistachio variety grown in California's Central Valley, known as Kerman, was originally cultivated by Iranian farmers in the 1960s. Today, California has overtaken Iran as the world's largest pistachio producer, with most of the crop grown in the Central Valley.
However, both regions face a common challenge: land subsidence due to overpumping of groundwater for irrigation. In Iran, the problem is particularly severe in the arid region of Rafsanjan, where farmers are seeing their orchards sink by up to 37 centimeters annually. Similarly, in California, some orchards are experiencing a subsidence of up to 20 centimeters per year.
This issue is a result of the region's reliance on groundwater, which is being pumped out faster than it can be replenished. The subsidence in both regions is a man-made hazard that cannot be easily reversed, as the collapse of the aquifer means the land can no longer hold as much water as it once did.
Brief written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
