Iraq exploits less than half of arable lands

Shafaq News– Baghdad

Iraq is using less than half farmland for agriculture, with only 13 million dunams currently under cultivation out of an estimated 28 million dunams nationwide, the Eco Iraq Observatory said on Sunday.

In a statement, the observatory noted that agricultural land falls into two categories: rain-fed land, such as in Al-Muthanna and Saladin, and irrigated land, including Wasit, one of the provinces most reliant on this type of farming.

Five key factors are driving the decline in agricultural activity: water scarcity, reduced rainfall, drought, climate change, and weak government support. The lack of support, according to the observatory, is reflected in the absence of long-term agricultural planning, limited assistance to farmers in accessing seeds, fertilizers, and marketing channels, and persistent pricing and crop-purchasing problems, factors that have also contributed to rural out-migration.

To address the challenges, the observatory recommended an urgent national strategy for water and agriculture management, including modernizing irrigation networks, adopting modern technologies, supporting less water-intensive crops, encouraging agricultural investment, and developing rural areas.

Ranked 109th globally and fifth among Arab countries in the 2024 Agriculture Index issued by the Economic Policy Institute, Iraq is experiencing one of its most severe water years in decades. In September, the Ministry of Water Resources attributed the situation to reduced rainfall and declining inflows from upstream countries.

Read more: Iraq’s water crisis deepens: Reserves collapse, mismanagement continues