Saffron picking in Afghanistan | November 2014
The Agence France-Presse photographer Aref Karimi covered saffron cultivation in Herat, western Afghanistan. The industry employs about 6,000 people, 4,000 of them women, in the province.
Crocus sativus in the family Iridaceae is the source for true saffron. The pistils of the flowers are picked and used for cooking, and saffron is considered one of the most valuable spices in the world.
