Agriculture in Iraq

The agricultural sector had a significant role in the Iraqi economy since ancient times. The oldest known agricultural villages in the world appeared in Iraq. The cultivation of grains (such as wheat and barley) was known in the village of Jermo, east of Kirkuk, about 8000 years B.C. The agricultural sector deteriorated until the participation of this sector reached 14% with fixed prices for the year 1980 due to the Iran-Iraq war, as the agricultural industry faced neglect and deterioration. The agricultural sector returned to the forefront after the imposition of economic sanctions on Iraq in 1991, as there was no other option for the Iraqi government at the time other than to sustain the agricultural sector to overcome the blockade. After 2003, the demand for agricultural and food items increased as economic sanctions against Iraq were lifted, the agricultural industry performed worse, and consumption rates increased. The total agricultural output grew in 2011–2013, as the government supported the agricultural sector and launched the agricultural initiative. The average growth rate was about 0.25% for the total agricultural product from 2011–2018, and the average growth rate was about 4.6% for the GDP. Some factors that affect agricultural production are natural (such as Surface Topography, Climate, Soil, and Water Resources) and the other is human, which possess advanced capabilities and skills in the agricultural production process. The type of crops in Iraq depends on the variation in climate conditions, soil characteristics, and the extent of water availability, as well as human requirements such as labor, market, funds, transportation methods, communications, and government agricultural policies. Accordingly, the crops can be classified as Grain Crops (Wheat, Barley, Rice, Yellow and white Corn, Millet, and Vegetable Oils Production Crops), Industrial Crops (Cotton, Sugar Cane, Tobacco crops, and Fodder Crops), Legume Crop, Vegetables, Fruits and dates. Livestock is one of the pillars of agricultural production and is essential in human life. It is the source of red and white meat, eggs, leather, wool, milk, its derivatives, and other products. Livestock in Iraq includes many types of animals, the most important of which are sheep, cows, goats, camels, buffaloes, lambs (horses, mules, donkeys), birds, and poultry of all kinds (chickens, ducks, geese, ostriches), in addition to the fish farms of all types and the honey bees’ farms are distributed in all governorates. The rapid population growth, agricultural problems, and environmental degradation constituted a severe problem for Iraq. According to the monitoring of international organizations, agrarian issues are one of the most prominent problems that threaten food security and worsen it (such as Water problems, Desertification, Salinity, and Soil Pollution) as well as Human Problems, which are more severe than natural problems (such as The fragmentation of agricultural holdings, Urban sprawl on agricultural land, Declining government support for the farm sector, Competition between local products and imported agricultural products and The technological gap in the farming sector).