Establishing an International Collaboration Platform for Smallholders, Family FarmWorkshop for ers

and Agricultural Producer Organisations in OIC Member CountriesWorkshop for Establishing an

International Collaboration Platform for Smallholders, Family Farmers and Agricultural Producer Organisations in OIC

Member CountriesChallenges of the Agricultural sector in IRAQ

COUNTRY-IRAQ

:// . .http www zeraa go.v iq

The agricultural sector considers the most important sector after the oil sector in Iraqi economy of due to the assimilation of more than 30% of the manpower size .its contribution at the present time in the national production by 7.6%.IRAQ has suffered for long periods of time, from repeated wars and their effects, and the embargo imposed on the Iraqi people, as well as accompany by the lack of rain and water scarcity which has led to the desertification of agricultural land and causing migration many of the farmers from their lands and happened breakdown in infrastructure of agricultural sector.

The organizational structure for the Ministry of agriculture from the website of the Ministry of agriculture

of MOA The directorates

Administrative and Finance Departments and their supports Legal DepartmentHorticulture directoratePlanning and Follow-up directorateAgricultural Equipment Co.Mesopotamia company for seeds Agricultural Researches directorateAgricultural Extension and Training directorateANIMAL PRODUCTION directorateVeterinary directorateSennacherib Co of of modern irrigation technologiesDesertification and forests directorate Seeds TEST & CERIFICATION directorateAgricultural investments directorateIn addition in every province there are Directorate of Agriculture

1 -The low productivity of the soil.2- The scarcity of water for agriculture.3- The law productivity of labor and capital and their reasons.4- Deterioration the infrastructure of the agricultural sector and the supporting. 5- Quantitative and qualitative deterioration of agricultural wealth. 6- Agricultural legislations.

7 -Farm management, ensure most important factors .8 -Weakness of agricultural investment .

9- Scientific research and agricultural extension.

Challenges of the Agricultural Sector in Iraq

The Iraqi government takes through the Ministry of Agriculture Important decisions for the advancement of the agricultural sector, and set a time limit duration of ten years to reach the stage of Iraq's self-sufficiency in strategic crops. These steps are Included legislation of new laws , put a strategic plan for the development and establish new projects

Steps taken to develop the agricultural sector

The most important steps have taken to develop the agricultural sector Devising salinity–resistant varieties of wheat. Work on importation of crops which resist salinity and drought. Expansion project in the use of modern irrigation techniques. (sprinkler and drip)The national project of wheat developing in Iraq , which aims to found varieties of wheat with specifications Qty & quality.

improvement livestock sector and rehabilitation by subsidy the farmers and livestock breeders, providing them with feed ,veterinary medicines and vaccines with supported prices, besides develop the capacity building of the farmers and workers in this sector.

Planning an investment map with the projects eligible for the investment that present to the national commission for investment, and promotion for it through the conferences and the meetings convened by Ministry of Agriculture.

Development of employees in agricultural sector through involvement of specialized courses inside and outside Iraq. Encourage farmers and peasants on saving and establish cooperative farm banks.Expansion of dissemination typical farms for farmers and peasants which applied proper management. Holding projects with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for the development of seeds production of strategic crops and vegetables, as well as maintenance plant and animal sources.

Scientific Research and Agricultural Extension: The most important elements for progress and prosperity in the agricultural sector are using the methods of scientific research and agricultural extension which achieved through the following: * Scientific research. * Agricultural extension. * Technology transfer. * Capacity building

The Ministry has signed number of understanding memoranda and cooperation protocols with a number of countries and organizations include Jordan, Egypt, Australia, Turkey, Iran and Arab organization for agricultural development in addition to the joint cooperation agreement between Iraq and America all of which contain scientific cooperation and capacity building

Ministry of agriculture has more than 57 farms extension distributed in the provinces of Iraq , to deploy the results of scientific research and modern technologies and the establishment of courses for the development of farmers and deliver the latest scientific information to them.

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the most important laws that were being legislated THE law No28/2009 is legislated for lending farmers through the agricultural loan fund with benefit 2% as service bank. These loans are given for the purpose of the establishment of projects, for example,• Rearing calves • Poultry • Breeding cows• Domestication & breeding bird ostrich•The establishment of new orchards and rehabilitate old orchards

•Fisheries Development•Projects cultivation of improved seeds•projects for green houses

The aim of loans to stop the degradation of agricultural projects in the country. The loan is paying as payments after two years of loan.

The law no 10 2013 (agricultural ministry law) One of the important points in this law Is:-•deal directly with small farmers to know their problems.

•Provide them everything they need in their agricultural work (fertilizers and pesticides and veterinary medicines and modern irrigation systems, machinery and other.

Ministry of agriculture put strategy plans to develop the ability of small farmers. this strategy includes workshop and seminars and programs extension to a large number of farmers and livestock breeders to improve their a abilityTHE programs extension:•Educated them by using modern irrigation methods instead of the traditional methods that cause a big waste of water.•Encourage farmers to plan for marketing their products on correct and modern way depending on the sources of information marketing

•Project programs to train rural women and improve their ability through the creation of specialized centers for their development, and instruct them, the project has a special fund for lending, to enable them to implement projects that want them.•Support the purchase prices of strategic crops (wheat barley - corn - rice) •selling feed to farmers at affordable prices

Ministry of Agriculture implemented in collaboration with the international center of Agricultural Researches in dry Regions to improve the living situation for the small farmers through using modern agricultural methods as organic fertilization and integrated pest management in a number of governorates of Iraq the project takes four years and now in the last year .the projects is considered one of the most important projects from 200 projects

The Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture cooperation with International Organization for Migration put a strategy to train and encourage small farmers to stop the migration from the countryside to the city.Ministry of agriculture has also Important Project which is farmers schools, three schools in each province focuses on integrated pest management and modern farming methods.

Protection of the agricultural product by adopting agricultural Calendar Indicate the time period for the production of each crop in the country and provided to prevent the import of this crop in order to product local agricultural production.There are positive results for this support and you can see local agricultural products in our market. The goal is to reach self-sufficiency and then export.The Ministry of Agriculture has adopted industrial and agricultural projects through importing of production lines of tomato paste and dates.

Date palmDate palm was cultivation in IRAQ DUE to Sumerian century whereas founded in ancient Sumerian boards full description for palms ,besides that king Hammurabi ( king in Babylon century) , he put the first laws in history which were written in Hammurabi obelisk .the obelisk contained 282 laws eight of them about how you palms .this items provided for the protection and interested in the Palm and penalty if they did not comply with these items

Iraq until the end of the sixties of the last century, had export about 75% of the world's dates and occupies the first place, but a decline in the past four decades to ninth place, because of the lack of water, diseases and wars that ravaged millions of trees since 1980. The Ministry of Agriculture put developed plan for the advancement of palm sector in Iraq and encourage farmers to pay attention to this important tree.as follows: -

- Rehabilitation the old orchards and the establishment new orchards - Control operations continued to Dubas which is considered one of the most important insects that damage the palm, by using organic pesticides - Support the purchase prices of dates from farmers - provide the farmers on modern irrigation systems-All this has led to increased production of dates, which covered the local markets and export to world markets. Ministry of agriculture is cooperation with some organization and company that interest in dates developing main characters for Dates prepared for export depending in international standard characters For the purpose of restoring dates in Iraq its position in global markets

in 2014 more than 14 million tones produced in Iraq an increase of three million tons from the previous year, the Agriculture Ministry confirmed that Government support programmes for private sector contributed to the quantitative and qualitative increase of crops

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