The urgency of the Iranian water crisis increases every year. The Iranian agricultural sector is by far the biggest user of the vanishing water, yet it continues to be heavily subsidized. This...Show moreThe urgency of the Iranian water crisis increases every year. The Iranian agricultural sector is by far the biggest user of the vanishing water, yet it continues to be heavily subsidized. This paper first establishes a link between subsidies and water mismanagement and then continues to investigate the motivations and dilemmas that Iranian policymakers face in their decision to retain subsidies that promote the wasteful agricultural industry. With the input of experts in the field and from the region, this paper argues that these subsidies are a crucial pillar of Iran due to its nature as a neopatrimonial rentier state and that subsidy reform or even removal are difficultShow less
This essay investigates the archaeological evidence that indicate water management intended for agricultural optimization in Minoan Crete. The geographical, geomorphological, climatic,...Show moreThis essay investigates the archaeological evidence that indicate water management intended for agricultural optimization in Minoan Crete. The geographical, geomorphological, climatic, palaeoenvironmental and chronological contexts of Minoan Crete are examined as an introduction. A brief overview of the water management solutions encountered in settlement environments follows. The main topic is analyzed through the evidence provided by the island of Pseira, the valley of Choiromandres in Zakros, the region of Kavousi, the coastal area of Gournia and the plain of Malia. Parallels from Kythera Island and the Mycenaean Tiryns are used to broaden the image of the Late Bronze Age agricultural life in the Aegean region. The modern-day irrigation techniques found on the island of Crete are discussed in the place of an ethnographic study.Show less
