Water scarcity increases desertification of agricultural land

Several experts have issued warnings of the increase in the desertification of agricultural areas in Iraq if the parliament and the government did not address the seriousness of the matter, as Iraq annually loses 260,000 acres of agricultural land due to the lack of water releases, which prompted a large number of farmers and agricultural workers to emigrate.

The Iraqi MP Adnan al-Juhaishi attributed the reasons for this decline in agricultural areas to the wrong policies adopted by ministries of agriculture, irrigation, trade and electricity for many years that led to the decrease in local agricultural yields, as well as the influx of imports into the country, which led to a shrinking of green spaces.

Iraqi farmers have been fought in a way that made reduced their lands to a quarter of what they used to be, with the lack of water imports, the absence of electricity, and the absence of support from the Ministry of Agriculture.

In some cases, the situation has forced farmers to commit suicide in the Zubair district. Some specialists offer solutions that will solve the problem, which lies in the establishment of agricultural economic partnerships with Turkey and the European Union.