Growing Australia: how a refugee from Iran helped expand the pistachio industry
Written by Dellaram Vreeland from the Guardian
Mehran Mahdavi is among the many migrants whose skills and knowledge transformed our horticulture industry – and taste buds
Thousands of pistachio trees stand in neat rows at Robinvale in northern Victoria. The orchard spans almost 300 hectares (741 acres) and is among the oldest of Australia’s large-scale commercial plantings, stretching across the flat plains near the Murray River.
It’s a far cry from the mountains of south-west Iran, where Baha’i man Mehran Mahdavi farmed before his family was forced to flee their homeland in 1980 to avoid persecution. But there are similarities. Both have harsh, dry summers and cold winters. Mahdavi, with a decade’s experience working in agriculture in Iran, could see the connection.
Sign up to receive Guardian Australia’s fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter
Continue reading...
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters – because it might well be your perspective, too.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. Support the Guardian – it only takes a minute. Thank you.
Written by Dellaram Vreeland from the Guardian
Mehran Mahdavi is among the many migrants whose skills and knowledge transformed our horticulture industry – and taste buds
- Sign up for the Rural Network email newsletter
- Join the Rural Network group on Facebook to be part of the community
Thousands of pistachio trees stand in neat rows at Robinvale in northern Victoria. The orchard spans almost 300 hectares (741 acres) and is among the oldest of Australia’s large-scale commercial plantings, stretching across the flat plains near the Murray River.
It’s a far cry from the mountains of south-west Iran, where Baha’i man Mehran Mahdavi farmed before his family was forced to flee their homeland in 1980 to avoid persecution. But there are similarities. Both have harsh, dry summers and cold winters. Mahdavi, with a decade’s experience working in agriculture in Iran, could see the connection.
Sign up to receive Guardian Australia’s fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter
Continue reading...
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters – because it might well be your perspective, too.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. Support the Guardian – it only takes a minute. Thank you.
