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U.S. Working in Iraq—Agricultural Projects
Latest news about the Provincial Reconstruction
Teams (PRTs) in Iraq
(U.S. Embassy–Baghdad Web site)
Archived information about agriculture in
Iraq:
—
Mushroom Commercial Growing
Farms
—
Soil Salinity In
Iraq
—
Olive
Production in Iraq
|
Agricultural Projects
Mushroom Commercial Growing
Farms
  
Mushroom Commercial Growing Farm’s have
the potential of being a profitable
business at several levels of the Iraqi
economy.
Mushrooms are easy to grow, using
simple adopted technologies and do not
require large pieces of land. The
development of mushrooms is in line with
the government’s policy of
diversification of the country’s
production base.
Research shows that wild mushrooms are
hunted by the people in Iraq, Jordan and
Syria.
Mushrooms are savory and have high
protein content, closely
related
to animal protein.
Mushrooms are widely used as an
ingredient in a number of products, such
as soup, salads and fried as a
substitute for meat.
They are prepared in meals at
homes, hotels and specialized
institutions.
Mushrooms are a fairly new food
to the majority of the Iraqi people.
As more Iraqi’s discover the many
uses of the mushroom, the demand for it
will only grow. We know that mushrooms
are grown commercially in Israel.
So if they can be grown there,
they should be able to be commercially
grown here.
The purpose of this project is to create
new jobs and potentially new income
sources for lower income Iraqis.
It will also increase local
economic activity and decrease the
amount of imported mushrooms.
All these facts will lead to the
growth of the Iraqi economy at both the
local and national level.
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Soil Salinity In
Iraq
 
ARDI, Agricultural Reconstruction
Development Iraq, subcontractor to
USAID, U.S. Agricultural Industrial
Development provided information in
this article.
It is estimated that 28 million
acres in Iraq are cultivable, or
26 percent of the total area of
the country. The total area
estimated to be used for
agriculture is 19 million acres,
which is almost 93 percent of
the cultivable area. However,
due to soil salinity-fallow
practices, and the unstable
political situation, it is
estimated that only 7 to 12
million acres are actually
cultivated annually. In 1993,
the area actually cultivated was
estimated at about 9.2 million
acres, of which 8.5 million
acres consisted of annual crops
and 0.66 million acres consisted
of permanent crops.
Salinity has always been a major
issue in this area -- it was
recorded as a cause of crop
yield reductions some 3800 years
ago. It is estimated that in
1970 half the irrigated areas in
central and southern Iraq
were degraded due to water
logging and salinity.
The absence of drainage
facilities and, to a
lesser extent, the
irrigation practices
used (flooding) were the
major causes of these
problems.
In 1978, a land
rehabilitation program
was undertaken,
comprising concrete
lining for irrigation
canals, installation of
field drains and
collector drains.
Irrigation with highly
saline waters (more than
1500 ppm) has been
practiced for date palm
trees since 1977. The
use of brackish
groundwater is also
reported for tomato
irrigation in the south
of the country.
By 1989, a total of
1,729 acres had been
reclaimed. Recent
estimates have
nevertheless shown that
4 percent of irrigated
areas were severely
saline, 50 percent
medium saline and 20
percent slightly saline,
i.e. a total of 74
percent of the irrigated
areas suffered from some
degree of salinity. The
Ministry of Irrigation
estimated at that the
amount of salt
transported to the Gulf
by the Saddam river in
1995.
ARDI has been working
with the Ministries of
Water Resources (MOWR)
and Agriculture (MOA) to
implement several
programs that will
reduce these problems
and help farmers revive
their fields, which will
in turn improve
production and increase
their income.
To reduce the region’s
inadequate drainage
problems of and high
soil salinity and to
improve agricultural
production, ARDI*
assisted MOA and MOWR in
the creation of four
pilot drainage and
salinity catchment areas
in Baghdad, Muthanna,
and Wassit governorates.
Each pilot area is
between 250-1200 acres
and is used to test
drainage systems. An
area of 24-74 acres is
used as a test plot to
carry out research
activities.
Seven staff members from
MOWR and MOA are
directly implementing
this pilot catchment
project. Some of these
staff members attended
an ARDI-sponsored
training course in
November 2005 at the
University of Wageningen
in the Netherlands.
The skills taught in
this course on drainage
and irrigation research
and pilot area data
analysis prepared the
staff members to
establish and implement
the catchment areas.
ARDI will also trained
MOA technicians. These
technicians will in turn
be able to assist and
train other technicians
and farmers throughout
Iraq on how to install
and operate the systems.
USAID is working with
the Ministry of Science
and Technology on the
multiplication of
salt-tolerant wheat
seed, an effort that
will increase
agricultural
productivity on land
with highly saline soil.
*DAILY
MARCH 22, 2006 CROP
– SOIL – WATER
RELATIONSHIPS.
Research Continues
on Drainage and
Salinity Pilot
Catchment Areas.
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Olive
Production in Iraq
  
Olives are a potentially
important cash crop for
Iraqi farmers. Olives
are grown throughout the
region, and
they have
demonstrated
production
capacity in all
of the
governorates of
Iraq. The
Ministry of
Agriculture
(MOA) has
recognized the
potential for
olive production
in Iraq, and in
2000 initiated a
program to
establish
nurseries to
produce olive
tree saplings.
These MOA
nurseries
currently have
over one million
seedlings
available.
Agricultural
Reconstruction
Development Iraq
(ARDI) is
working with MOA
to establish
sixteen
demonstration
orchards to
utilize these
saplings and
improve olive
production
throughout Iraq.
Construction is
underway to
establish the
orchards in
eight
governorates:
Salah ad Din,
Diyala, Wassit,
Babylon,
Qadissiya,
Muthanna,
Thi-Qar and
Basrah. The
orchards will be
planted with
both high oil
and table fruit
olive varieties,
according to the
region of the
country and the
variety. The
central area of
Iraq is more
favorable to
table olive
varieties, while
orchards in the
southern region
will be planted
with both table
and high oil
producing
varieties of
olives.
MOA
nurseries have
several oil and
table varieties
available, so no
new development
of varieties is
necessary.
Construction of
the nurseries
and installation
of necessary
irrigation
equipment will
be completed by
March 2006. Each
orchard will be
6 acres in area
and will have a
small
building
to
secure
the pump
and
store
tools
and
equipment. ARDI is
also
providing
each
orchard
with an
electric
pump and
water
reservoir
for
adequate
irrigation
through
drip-kit
systems.
The
seedlings,
which
will be
purchased
from the
MOA
nurseries
at
reduced
prices,
will be
planted
by April
2007.
Each
orchard
will be
planted
with 600
seedlings,
for a
total of
9,000
olive
oil
trees.
MOA
will use
these
orchards
to
implement
an olive
production
initiative
to
encourage
farmers
to
increase
olive
production.
The
orchards
will
become a
tool for
MOA
extension
agents
to
demonstrate
to
farmers
proper
cultivation
techniques
for
olives.
In
addition,
the MOA
will
continue
to
produce
seedlings
in its
nursery
and sell
them to
farmers
at
reduced
prices.
These
efforts
will
improve
olive
production
in Iraq
and
increase
farmers’
income.
ARDI has
also
contributed
to the
improvement
of olive
production
in the
northern
region
of Iraq,
where
table
varieties
of
olives
grow
well. In
April
2005,
ARDI
provided
a total
of 7,200
olive
seedlings
to 24
farmers
to
establish
olive
orchards.
The
Dogel
and
Ajrasi
olive
varieties
that
were
provided
to the
farmers
produce
fruit
that is
popular
for
consumption
and has
a large
domestic
market.
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