Programs and solutions to increase the cultivated area of medicinal plants in Kurdistan Province, Iran

The rangelands of Kurdistan province in Iran cover 1,182,214 hectares, equivalent to 1.4% of the country's rangelands, 10% of the Zagros rangelands, and about 40.5% of the province's total land area. There are currently 115 families, 660 genera, and 2350 species of plants in the Kurdistan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center's herbarium (HKS). With more than 200 plant species with medicinal properties, Kurdistan province holds a special place in the Zagros and the country. Through the cultivation and domestication of these plants in educational, extension and research farms, officials and individuals can gain a better understanding of planting medicinal plants and the many opportunities these plants provide for income generation and employment. The purpose of this study was to identify the obstacles and challenges associated with the development of plantations of medicinal plants in Kurdistan province by conducting interviews with local operators and experts (30 stakeholders). It was found that the main challenges and obstacles to the development of medicinal plants in Kurdistan province and in the country are as follows: 1) A lack of or absence of government financial support for medicinal plants and modern irrigation systems (with a relative weight (RW) of 99.33%), 2) International economic and banking sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran (RW=96.67%), 3) Weakness in the area of commercialization and the development of transformation industries (RW=94.67%), 4) Inadequacies in the promotion of medicinal plants in Kurdistan province and throughout the country (RW=90.67%), 5) The lack of standards for the development, production, and processing of medicinal plants (RW=84%), 6) Lack of branding and presence on international markets (RW=70%), and 7) The low degree of mechanization in the production and processing of medicinal plants (RW=62.67%). It is therefore possible to increase the production the plant industry by increasing government financial support, increasing the knowledge of producers, providing the basis for exporting processed products, increasing added value through branding and processing, and reducing production costs as a result of mechanization in production, packaging, and processing.