Page 23 - AA 2025 Year Book Summary

Iraq

Iraq advances data-driven irrigation and water governance

The Food and Agriculture Organi- WaPOR’s role in strengthening tech-
zation of the United Nations played nical teams with up-to-date remote
a key role in advancing discussions sensing skills, monitoring ground-
and technical exchanges focused water conditions at the basin level,
on digital innovation to improve ir- and providing extension services to
rigation efficiency and sustainable farmers.
water governance in Iraq, during
the 5th Baghdad International Water A farmer cultivating 70 hectares –
Conference (BIWC). The conference cations of WaPOR – FAO’s Water 95% of it under wheat – shared his
was held from 24 to 28 May 2025, Productivity Open-access portal – positive experience using remote
alongside with the 11th Micro Irriga- focusing on the West Gharraf irriga- sensing tools in collaboration with
tion Conference of the International tion project, which covers approxi- WaPOR technical teams and the pri-
Commission on Irrigation and Drain- mately 95,000 hectares across Wasit vate sector.
age (ICID). and Thi Qar governorates. Using During the visit, the Director-Gen-

Harnessing innovation for sus- remote sensing data and field-based eral emphasized WaPOR’s strategic
tainable irrigation indicators, the team demonstrated importance for Iraq and promoted it
how WaPOR helps estimate seasonal in high-level meetings with both fed-
As Iraq and the Near East and evapotranspiration, biomass pro- eral and Kurdistan Regional Govern-
North Africa (NENA) region face in- duction and groundwater abstrac- ment officials.
creasing water scarcity, improving tion, providing decision-makers with
irrigation performance and gover- practical insights to optimize water Co-launch of a USD 39 million cli-
nance remains a national priority. At allocation, improve irrigation per- mate resilience project
the high-level technical session “En- formance, and identify sustainability On 28 May in Baghdad, the Direc-
hancing irrigation-water-produc- gaps. tor-General co-launched the Green
tivity and governance using a data- Climate Fund-supported project
driven approach,” FAO presented its In addition, a second pilot in “Strengthening Climate Resilience of
latest tools, case studies, and field the Shemamuk irrigation scheme Vulnerable Agricultural Livelihoods
experiences from Iraq and across (15,000 ha) in Erbil Plain allowed in Southern Iraq” (SRVALI), with a to-
the region. FAO to assess seasonal groundwater
recharge and use. These efforts are tal investment of USD 39 million. The
Co-chaired by Dr. Sami Ouechta- part of Iraq’s broader strategy to im- project aims to support rural house-
ti, FAO Iraq Technical Advisor, and prove water resource planning and holds in Karbala, Najaf and Muthan-
Eng. Mukhalad Hussein, FAO Land climate adaptation. na governorates – areas severely af-
and Water Management Specialist, fected by drought, land degradation
the session highlighted the transfor- Government engagement and and water scarcity.
mative potential of geospatial tech- field visit in Erbil
nologies, real-time monitoring tools, On 27 May, FAO Director-General The launch event gathered senior
and participatory governance mod- QU Dongyu visited the Erbil Basin, government officials, international
els. where he met with farmers from the partners and UN representatives.
village of Jazhnakan and attended The Director-General commended
“FAO is committed to supporting the strong national ownership and
Iraq in its transition toward efficient a field demonstration of a WaPOR- collaboration among the Ministries
supported project. He observed two
and climate-resilient water use sys- of Environment, Water Resources,
tems,” said Dr. Ouechtati. “By inte- wheat varieties in the field and com- Planning and Agriculture.
grating satellite-based data, field mended the quality of the high-yield
monitoring and inclusive planning, variety. On the same day, he visited
we can ensure water reaches the The visit brought together rep- Karbala Governorate, where he met
right place at the right time for peo- resentatives from the Ministry of women farmers and inaugurated a
ple, for food, and for the future.” Agriculture and Water Resources’ women’s dairy group center – an im-
Planning and Follow-up Depart- portant step in strengthening local
WaPOR tools in action: from pilot value chains, nutrition and women’s
to impact ment, technical teams, local farm-
ers, Salahaddin University, and pri- empowerment, key pillars of agri-
FAO experts showcased appli- vate sector partners. It highlighted food systems transformation.
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