Strategic Studies of the Islamic Revolution

Strategic Studies of the Islamic Revolution

Pathology of the Agricultural Sector in the 2010s

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Javad Mokhtari 1
Mahdi Abniki 2
1 PhD student in Agriculture, University of Tehran
2 Master's degree in Agriculture, Shahed University
10.22034/irsj.2025.503091.1102
Abstract
The agricultural sector has always played a vital role in the national economy, contributing significantly to food security, employment generation, and sustainable development. However, during the 2010s, this sector faced numerous transformations and challenges that adversely affected its productivity, sustainability, and efficiency. Statistical data indicate that, similar to the overall economy, the agricultural sector experienced a volatile growth trajectory, even recording negative growth in 2018 and 2021. The sector’s average economic growth rate over the decade was approximately 3.7%. Additionally, the capital formation rate in agriculture followed a downward trend, declining from around 6–7% at the beginning of the decade to approximately 1% by 2021. Furthermore, agriculture’s share of total capital formation remained low, averaging only 4% throughout the decade.Despite policy emphasis on self-sufficiency and national independence in agricultural production, as well as the need to support domestic farmers, data reveal a significant surge in agricultural imports. The volume of imports rose from 13,000 tons in 2011 to over 30,000 tons in 2021, marking a 2.5-fold increase. Government support for agriculture, particularly in the form of subsidies, did not follow a consistent trajectory. While annual subsidies increased from 1,700 trillion rials in 2011 to approximately 9,700 trillion rials in 2017, they sharply declined to around 1,000 trillion rials in 2020 and 2021—the lowest level in recent decades. Inflation in the agricultural sector also followed an upward trend, with producer inflation reaching approximately 64% in 2021. An analysis of the agricultural sector in the 2010s highlights key structural vulnerabilities and challenges, including low productivity and limited integration of scientific knowledge, an aging farming population, inadequate financing and investment, excessive government intervention in sectoral operations, unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, and the impact of climate change. In response, several strategic measures are proposed, including promoting agricultural and food exports, expanding arable land, achieving self-sufficiency in oilseeds, meat, and dairy production, enhancing education and training for scientific agricultural methods, integrating small farmlands, establishing agricultural training schools, focusing on rural development, and fostering industrial advancements in the agricultural sector.
Keywords
Agriculture
Environment
Food Security
2010s
Subjects
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Strategic Studies of the Islamic Revolution
Volume 2, Issue 3 - Serial Number 7
Special Issue on the Economic Pathology of the Nineties
Autumn 2024
Pages 165-194