Fifth Social, Economic and Cultural Development Plan 2011-2015

This Plan consists of nine Chapters divided into 235 Articles: Iranian-Islamic Culture (I); Science and Technology (II); Social Affairs (III); Administrative and Management System (IV); Economic Affairs (V); Regional Development (VI); Defense, Political and Security Affairs (VII); Legal Affairs (VIII); Budget and Monitoring (IX). In order to improve food security, the government plans to; provide adequate financial support to increase the number of industrial slaughterhouses and develop the semi-industrial and traditional slaughterhouses; increase the support of the agriculture sector to a minimum of 35% of agricultural product’s values; support increases in the production of animal protein derived from a variety of livestock, poultry and aquaculture; control animal diseases; guarantee investment in agricultural and food security; and implement the plan to ensure food security from farm to person’s plate. The Government should actively support the activities and decision of the High Council for Health and Food Security, which was established by the Fourth Social, Economic and Cultural Development Plan. The Ministry of Health and Medical Education shall announce a list of healthy and safe food and the desirable food diet for different age groups. In order to support the agricultural and industrial sectors, the Government plans to support knowledge-based companies and facilitate the use of new technologies. The Government plans to modify the utilization of forests, rangelands, water and soil through: replacement of fossil fuel by renewable resources of energy; development of wood farming and fighting with wood smuggling; forest management; encouragement of the industrial reproduction of livestock; and desertification. The Government is responsible to protect, rehabilitate and sustainably use the environment, natural resources and biodiversity. To improve the livelihoods in rural areas, increase the income of villagers and reduce the differences between the quality of life in urban and rural areas, the Government plans to: promote rural development standards; provide villagers with modern services; support the growth of industrial agriculture; support rural handicrafts and tourism; modify management systems in rural areas; renovate and immunize rural housings; provide villagers with technical education necessary for their empowerment; support entrepreneurship; improve rural roads system; provide financial facilities to improve the employment amongst villagers and nomads; and increase the partnership of governmental and non-governmental sectors for rural development. In order to increase added value in the agriculture sector to achieve the growth in sustainable development by 7% per year, and to increase food security’s infrastructure of the country, the government plans to: maintain the agricultural capacities of the country and to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of basic agricultural and livestock products including wheat, barley, corn, rice, oilseed, sugar beet and sugarcane, white meat, red meat, milk and eggs; modify the consumption pattern based on nutrition standards; expand industrial and knowledge-based agriculture; improve agricultural irrigation efficiency by at least 40%, through implementation of water and soil infrastructure operations, including modernization, upgrading and growth of the irrigation network; fighting pests and plants diseases, efficient use of pesticides and fertilizers; develop organic cultivations; apply national quality control standards; upgrade agriculture machineries; and expand the coverage of agricultural products. In order to preserve water resources of the country and sustainable development of the water resources the Ministry of Energy shall maintain the balance between the insertion and extraction of ground water.