What it means
زراعت (zarâat) means “agriculture” or more specifically “crop farming,” referring to the practice of cultivating land and growing food crops. It is borrowed from Arabic, where the triliteral root ز-ر-ع (z-r-a) means “to sow” or “to cultivate.” In formal and written Persian, zarâat is the standard term, while in conversation you might more often hear کشاورزی (keshâvarzi), the native Persian equivalent. Interestingly, مزرعه (mazrae), the word for “farm,” comes from this exact same Arabic root, so knowing zarâat helps you recognize a whole family of related terms.
How to use it
- زراعت مهمترین بخش اقتصاد روستاست. (zarâat mohem-tarin bakhsh-e eqtesâd-e rustâst.) “Agriculture is the most important part of the village economy.”
- او در رشته زراعت تحصیل میکنه. (u dar reshte-ye zarâat tahsil mikone.) “He is studying agriculture.”
- وزارت زراعت قوانین جدیدی تصویب کرد. (vezârat-e zarâat qavânin-e jadidi tasvib kard.) “The Ministry of Agriculture approved new regulations.”
- زراعت در این منطقه به آب وابستهست. (zarâat dar in mantaqe be âb vâbaste-st.) “Farming in this region depends on water.”
Cultural note
Agriculture has been the backbone of Iranian civilization for millennia, and the importance of cultivating the land is reflected in Persian literature and proverbs. The word zarâat appears frequently in official contexts, such as the names of government ministries and agricultural colleges across Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. In Afghanistan, وزارت زراعت (vezârat-e zarâat) is the formal name of the Ministry of Agriculture. The Arabic root z-r-a is also the source of مزرعه (mazrae, “farm”) and زارع (zâre, “farmer” or “cultivator”), making it a productive root for Persian learners to internalize.