Iran and the Great Famine, 1870-72

摘要

This article aims to offer a brief assessment of the Great Famine of 1870-72 in Iran. Using contemporary sources, it is argued that the Great Famine did not have a single cause. A combination of factors gave rise to the emergence of famine. There was insufficient rainfall, but that was nothing new in Iran. In addition, despite the significance of water provision little had been done to ensure a regular water supply. Further, there seems to have been a shift towards production of cash crop, namely opium, at the expense of food production.In view of this, there were two possible outcomes: first, land under food cultivation may have declined, or in relation to food crops there may have been a shift from irrigated to dry farming. Given the inadequacy of rainfall in most of Iran, dry farming could only increase the incidence of food shortages and in extreme cases, as was the case during the period under consideration here, famine. Had there been any national archives, the issue under consideration could have been examined in details but no such data exists. The article therefore relies on descriptions given by contemporary observers and foreign travellers.