Climate change has had a devastating effect on agriculture in Iraq. Photo: NRC
Climate change has had a devastating effect on agriculture in Iraq. Photo: NRC
Climate change has had a devastating effect on agriculture in Iraq. Photo: NRC
Climate change has had a devastating effect on agriculture in Iraq. Photo: NRC

Farmers abandon fields and livelihoods as climate change ravages Iraq


Sinan Mahmoud
  • English
  • Arabic

A leading international aid organisation has raised alarm about the impact of accelerating climate change in Iraq, urging the government to improve management of water resources.

“Iraq’s climate is changing faster than people can adapt,” Anthony Zielicki, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) interim country director in Iraq said in a report published on Sunday.

“For the 1.2 million still displaced by conflict, and the millions who have returned home, resettled or relocated, recovery from years of conflict is being crippled by extreme drought, and undermining hard-won gains in livelihoods and income security,” Mr Zielicki warned.

Climate change has had a devastating effect on agriculture in Iraq. Photo: NRC
Climate change has had a devastating effect on agriculture in Iraq. Photo: NRC

The NRC conducted a survey in July and August in which it interviewed 1,079 people in Anbar, Kirkuk, Nineveh and Salahaddin provinces in northern and central Iraq. Among those, 40 per cent were women and 94 per cent were residents of rural areas.

These provinces have sustained severe destruction and displacement during ISIS' onslaught in mid-2014 and the ensuing military operations that ended with declaring the terrorist group militarily defeated in late 2017.

The NRC found that 60 per cent of farmers cultivated less land or had to use less water due to extreme drought while four in five had to reduce food expenditure.

The survey showed that one in four small scale farmers in the town of Sinjar and Baaj, located outside Nineveh provincial capital Mosul, said they were forced to give up farming.

In Baaj, one in five respondents linked climate change to increased social tensions, and one in four are thinking of moving because of drought, it added.

“All my neighbours have left,” farmer Abu Rashid, who has left his farm and works as a day labourer, told the NRC.

Ten years ago, he hired 35 people to work on his farm. “This year, I could not even afford to feed my own family,” he said.

“If this continues, I too will have to move soon. You know what happened here, the world knows what happened here. Today, the bullets have stopped but we are still scared of losing our home,” he said.

The NRC also warned that the adverse climate conditions have “impeded access and functionality of market systems, exacerbated social tensions, and increased risks of secondary displacement”.

“In areas where decades of conflict have caused substantial damage to infrastructure, rising temperature and water scarcity have contributed to mounting inequality in water access among communities,” it said.

It called on the Iraqi government to “take steps to monitor, regulate and allocate the country’s water resources more effectively”.

Climate change has had a devastating effect on agriculture in Iraq. Photo: NRC
Climate change has had a devastating effect on agriculture in Iraq. Photo: NRC

Ahead of Cop28 in the UAE this week, the NRC urged donors to increase funding for "climate resilience" in conflict contexts.

Iraq is ranked fifth on a list of countries most vulnerable to climate change, the UN said. It is experiencing its worst drought in decades, with temperatures exceeding 50°C last summer.

One of the most pressing issues is dwindling water flows in Iraq's main rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, due to upstream dams in Turkey and Iran, mismanagement and environmental degradation.

Desertification affects 39 per cent of the country and 54 per cent of its agricultural land has been degraded, mainly due to soil salinity caused by historically low river levels, rain scarcity and rising sea levels.

The BIO

Favourite piece of music: Verdi’s Requiem. It’s awe-inspiring.

Biggest inspiration: My father, as I grew up in a house where music was constantly played on a wind-up gramophone. I had amazing music teachers in primary and secondary school who inspired me to take my music further. They encouraged me to take up music as a profession and I follow in their footsteps, encouraging others to do the same.

Favourite book: Ian McEwan’s Atonement – the ending alone knocked me for six.

Favourite holiday destination: Italy - music and opera is so much part of the life there. I love it.

UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

Scoreline

Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')

Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')

Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'

UAE rugby in numbers

5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons

700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams

Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams

Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season

Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season

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Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

The candidates

Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive

Ali Azeem, business leader

Tony Booth, professor of education

Lord Browne, former BP chief executive

Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist

Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist

Dr Mark Mann, scientist

Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner

Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister

Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster

 

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Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm

Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Price: Dh99,000

On sale: now

The Vile

Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah

Director: Majid Al Ansari

Rating: 4/5

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Name: Carzaty

Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar

Launched: 2017

Employees: 22

Based: Dubai and Muscat

Sector: Automobile retail

Funding to date: $5.5 million

TALE OF THE TAPE

Floyd Mayweather

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Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Rating: 2.5/5

TOUR RESULTS AND FIXTURES

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The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn

Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet

Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe
Pietro Bartolo and Lidia Tilotta
Quercus

The biog

Hometown: Cairo

Age: 37

Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror

Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing

Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Four-day collections of TOH

Day             Indian Rs (Dh)        

Thursday    500.75 million (25.23m)

Friday         280.25m (14.12m)

Saturday     220.75m (11.21m)

Sunday       170.25m (8.58m)

Total            1.19bn (59.15m)

(Figures in millions, approximate)

Updated: November 27, 2023, 10:44 AM