Food and livelihood security

Walnut production is the main source of income and employment for many households. It plays a vital role in employment and income directly as well as for job creation in different sectors including industry, commerce and tourism. About 36.86% of Tuyserkan residents are employed in the agriculture sector directly. In addition to direct impact on people's livelihoods, walnut production also has an important impact on the development of businesses in the industry and service sector. Over 250 business units work in marketing walnuts, walnut shell manufacture, walnut wood furniture and carving industries, walnut wood manufacture, walnut processing and others. Therefore, about 90% of the residents in Tuyserkan make their living from walnut production.

Walnut orchards provide many products and byproducts including foods, oil and medicines, dyeing material for handmade carpets, wood, woodcrafts, as well as active carbon production and all kinds of processed walnut food products. This makes walnut trees a key sector for the whole region.

Agrobiodiversity

The diversity of walnut tree varieties is very rich in the area. One of the strengths of the communities is to develop new trees from seedlings instead of mulplying clones. It supports the adaptation of genomes to resist climate change and pests. In total, several endemic varieties are cultivated together with improved ones. The local ones include Sarabi, Akbari, Basiri, Khani, Lashini, Jamal, Alvand, Chaldoran, Caspian and Persian varieties. Most of them are late flowering, which is more desirable for farmers since they are not endangered by spring frost.

In addition to walnuts, other agricultural products such as wheat, barley, cereals, onions, sugar beet, almonds, and potatoes are also grown in Tuyserkan. Other trees are also found such as apples, pears, cherries, almonds, sumacs and peaches. Wild biodiversity is important in the area particularly the medicinal herbs that are widely used in nutrition and health.

Local and traditional knowledge systems

Over its long history, people in this area have developed and adapted their practices ranging from watershed and irrigation management through qanat, soil conservation, plant multiplication and walnut tree production among others. Tuyserkan gardeners are experts in planting, harvesting, and maintaining walnuts as they have learned from their ancestors and look forward to improving their practices for the future. Among these practices, farmers believe that if they irrigate walnut trees in the cold and frost season, the pests and diseases of the trees will be eliminated – which is called the winter- ice water method.

Walnut production entails seedling propagation, construction, protection and maintenance of the garden, harvesting and gathering, peeling and drying, storage and packaging and processing. Many of these activities are done manually, particularly harvesting, peeling, washing, drying, sorting, packing and storage.

Water is shared among orchards based on the land area and the farmer water rights which have been determined. The water of rivers, springs and Qanats is transferred to walnut orchards through local canals and is distributed among farmers by Mirab, who act as the local water managers. Water at the farm level is managed based on the age of the tree using the basin method. The flooded irrigation system is prevalent in the area but local people are also gradually introducing modern irrigation technologies.

Cultures, value systems and social organizations

Walnut trees are deeply rooted in the identity of the local people. From giving old trees female names (e.g. Asieh and Bi-Bi Gol), to local games with walnuts, proverbs, beliefs, social practices, rituals, songs and festivities, walnuts are everywhere in Tuyserkan. Traditional cuisines and medicines rely on walnuts and form the characteristics of the local traditions. The area is rich of historical and cultural artifacts including hills, mosques, castles and tombstones that form a wealth of touristic attractions to visit.

The management of the whole system relies on participatory management of water conducted by grassroots organizations. Abaran Cooperative is a local organization, which is in charge of water distribution in this region. It is known as one of the successful cooperatives in this field. In addition, community works are conducted seasonally such as canal cleaning from rivers to walnut gardens. These operations are an old custom that has long been common among farmers.

Landscapes and waterscapes features

Local communities have made it possible to grow traditional walnut orchards in the region thanks to their landscape and watershed management. The construction of gardens on sloping lands has been developed through terracing using dry stones but also through the use of soil conservation techniques.

Today, the walnut orchards play a great role in conserving the whole landscape, limiting erosion and conserving the water resources. They also moderate warm weather, using less water from deep layers of soil. Walnut orchards are considered a field of knowledge and information for scientific research in biology, economics, sociology and agriculture.