The Middle East and North Africa is one of the most water-scarce regions of the world. Already plagued by a lack of freshwater resources, it also faces climate change, population growth and poor management, which threaten to affect the lives of millions.
The National’s correspondents across the region spoke to the people most affected to understand the extent of the issue and where hope for change may lie.
In the heart of Iraq’s southern parched desert, a verdant oasis rises like a mirage. But this is no illusion — it’s a thriving farm kept lush and green by the power of the sprinkler irrigation system.
“I consider the desert areas as the storehouse of food in the country due to the abundance of its groundwater and other ingredients,” said investor Wail Al Ghazali, 50.
“With the water stress that we are facing now, these areas could transform Iraq to a wheat exporter within two or three years with full support from the government."
Mr Al Ghazali knew the challenges that lay ahead when he poured his money into an agricultural project in the desert south of the city of Najaf two years ago, but he was determined to make a difference and create a successful business.
“To be honest, it is a risk to invest in the desert,” he said.
For decades, farmers in Iraq have relied on traditional irrigation systems, mainly flood irrigation — the flooding of a field with water to soak into the soil — for their crops. But such methods are inefficient, unsustainable and require significant amounts of water.
Only recently, some farmers began using more modern systems, such as drip and sprinkler irrigation, that can reduce the water required by up to 50 per cent through use of tubing, which improves crop yields and contributes to sustainable agricultural practice.
In July 2021, Mr Al Ghazali and his partners obtained an investment licence to develop 2,000 dunams (200 hectares) in Wadi Al Khir, about 60km south of Najaf city, to grow wheat.
He installed sprinkler irrigation across 1,200 dunams and a drip system that uses groundwater for another 400 dunams.
He has invested a total of 1.2bn Iraqi dinars ($800,000) so far. It is at least three times more than the estimated cost of growing wheat in an arable land with water readily available, he said.
“The cost of planting the desert is high for many reasons. Top of them is the absence of full government support in terms of offering loans, fuel and fertilisers,” said Mr Al Ghazali.
The government does provide incentives to encourage the use of more sustainable irrigation but still falls short of what is needed, he said.
For every sprinkler installed on a farm, the government supplies 1,200 litres of fuel per month to operate it. However, sprinklers actually require 5,000l.
Fertilisers provided by the government cover only 40 per cent of what the farmers need each month. Mr Al Ghazali said he depends on generators for consistent electricity.
During his first season 2021-2022, Mr Al Ghazali’s farm sustained losses of at least 300m Iraqi dinars ($200,000).
This year, he was forced to sell his car to buy fuel.
“I have to sell everything in my hand because I can’t see my crops fail and die,” he said.
Eventually, his hard work and sacrifice paid off. The current 2022-2023 season is promising, with each dunam is expected to produce between 1 and 1.6 tonnes of wheat.
Against all odds, rare success stories are emerging in agriculture sector in Iraq, the fifth most vulnerable country in the world to climate change according to the UN Environment Programme.
Climate change, mismanagement and conflict have contributed to the depletion of water resources, affecting agriculture and food security.
One of the most pressing issues is dwindling flows of the two main rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, mainly as a result of upstream dams in Turkey and Iran, as well as poor water management.
The country is experiencing its worst drought in decades, with temperatures exceeding 50°C last summer. Many of Iraq’s lakes have also shrunk — in some cases revealing ancient cities previously thought to have been lost to the water.
Desertification affects 39 per cent of the country and 54 per cent of agricultural land has degraded, mainly due to soil salinity caused by historically low water levels in the two rivers and reduced rainfall.
UN reports show that the rate of desertification has risen to 39 per cent of the country’s land and more than half (54 per cent) is under threat.
With mounting environmental challenges threatening food supply in Iraq, entrepreneurs are searching for solutions to ensure a sustainable future.
Mohammed Al Rawi’s passion for agriculture led him to establish the first mushroom farming project in the northern province of Nineveh in 2021, joining forces with innovation hub and business incubator QAF Lab.
The project uses innovative and sustainable farming techniques that allow him to grow mushrooms in a climate-controlled environment, by applying cold water steam.
It depends on recycling organic waste to create a suitable growing environment for mushrooms.
“I noticed that Iraqis consume mushrooms in large quantities and almost all are imported from neighbouring countries such as Iran and Turkey,” said Mr Al Rawi, 25.
“Since we can get all the raw materials locally and the project can generate good revenue, I decided to start the project,” he said.
Today, the farm produces 40-50 tonnes of mushrooms per year.
“The situation in Iraq in regard to water scarcity and agriculture is bleak, but if there is real support from the government Iraq can compete with other countries,” Mr Al Rawi said.
More from our water scarcity series:
SPEC SHEET
Display: 6.8" edge quad-HD dynamic Amoled 2X, Infinity-O, 3088 x 1440, 500ppi, HDR10 , 120Hz
Processor: 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8-core
Memory: 8/12GB RAM
Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB
Platform: Android 12
Main camera: quad 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2, 108MP wide f/1.8, 10MP telephoto f/4.9, 10MP telephoto 2.4; Space Zoom up to 100x, auto HDR, expert RAW
Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60fps, HD@30fps, super slo-mo@960fps
Front camera: 40MP f/2.2
Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
I/O: USB-C
SIM: single nano, or nano and SIM, nano and nano, eSIM/nano and nano
Colours: burgundy, green, phantom black, phantom white, graphite, sky blue, red
Price: Dh4,699 for 128GB, Dh5,099 for 256GB, Dh5,499 for 512GB; 1TB unavailable in the UAE
The%20specs
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (11.30pm)
Saturday Freiburg v Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund, Cologne v Wolfsburg, Arminia Bielefeld v Mainz (6.30pm) Bayern Munich v RB Leipzig (9.30pm)
Sunday Werder Bremen v Stuttgart (6.30pm), Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (9pm)
Monday Hoffenheim v Augsburg (11.30pm)
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
Best Documentary Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki
Best Film Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky
Best Director Nadine Labaki, Capernaum
FIVE%20TRENDS%20THAT%20WILL%20SHAPE%20UAE%20BANKING
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20digitisation%20of%20financial%20services%20will%20continue%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Managing%20and%20using%20data%20effectively%20will%20become%20a%20competitive%20advantage%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Digitisation%20will%20require%20continued%20adjustment%20of%20operating%20models%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Banks%20will%20expand%20their%20role%20in%20the%20customer%20life%20through%20ecosystems%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20structure%20of%20the%20sector%20will%20change%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.