Somaye Shirafkan

My story so far 

Hi there, I am Somaye, 37 years old from Iran. I conduct research in the field of rural development and women empowerment. I am a saffronista: Since 2016, I have been studying the realities and exploring the beauties of the saffron industry in Iran. Starting with a thorough examination of the Iranian saffron value chain and its actors, I ended up discovering ancient history, indigenous culture, deep-rooted traditions, truly empowered women, and sustainable rural development.

I have a Saffron Road that I follow every saffron harvest season (in autumn). During my saffron trips to the Saffron Regions of Khorasan, northeast Iran I talk to farmers and saffron workers (especially the female saffron workers) and record their lifestyles, difficulties, challenges, and, of course, hopes, and achievements. I feel responsible to introduce saffron people and saffron regions to other people (both inside and outside Iran). Therefore, I wrote a full report about my trips, the route I have taken, and all that I have encountered including human beings, traditions, cultures, historical and ancient monuments, and many more in a book titled: “Persian Saffron: A Travelogue ''.

As a part of my social responsibility, I decided to report about my saffron journeys on social media. So, I’ve established the first independent saffron media where you hear more about saffron people rather than saffron itself.

Links to my LinkedIn and Instagram:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/somaye-shirafkan-70489a52/

https://www.instagram.com/somayeshirafkan/

Last but definitely not least, I'm currently working on the following research projects:

• The Global Value Chain of Saffron (which aims at finding solutions to upgrade saffron in the international market).
• Saffron-Women Nexus:(studying the access and agency factors among the female saffron workers in Iran). Somaye Shirafkan