Celebrating the Rice Harvest in Gilan

These photographs of Gilan province document the hard labor involved in rice harvesting, the steps taken to deliver rice to thousands of people once spring has finally taken hold, and the colorful celebrations to mark the harvest.

Mazandaran and Gilan provinces nestled on the coast of the Caspian Sea are some of Iran’s prime areas for rice production because of their water-rich environments, and experts have called for rice farming to be restricted to these areas only. Ahead of the Persian new year, officials in the western province of Khuzestan announced a ban on rice cultivation in the province due to water shortages. 

Photographs: Behrouz Khosravi, Mizan News Agency