Wheat Productivity under Supplementary Irrigation  in Northern Iraq

Adnan Agary, Ahmed Hachum, Theib Oweis. (8/7/2002). Wheat Productivity under Supplementary Irrigation in Northern Iraq. Lebanon: International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).

Abstract

The dry areas are characterized by water scarcity. Agriculture consumes most of the water, but the water available is not enough for sustainable crop production. Since other sectors are increasingly competing for water, agriculture is bound to be a loser from its share of available water. Therefore. the poor, who depend largely on agriculture, will be particularly affected by the increasing scarcity of water. Driven by this challenge, ICARDA's research program has a major focus on coping with the effects of water scarcity in the dry areas. One promising area of research is concerned with improving the efficiency with which water is used in agriculture. Higher water-use efficiency means more production with less water. ICARDA is working on improving water productivity with its national agricultural research systems (NARS) partners, and is developing appropriate strategies and methodologies to achieve this goal across the dry areas. Supplemental irrigation has proved to be a highly water-use-efficient technique. Optimization of irrigation scheduling and its integration in the cropping systems are important areas of research in ICARDA's Natural Resource Management Program (NRMP). Early results indicate a strong potential for improvement in saving water by using appropriate schedules in conjunction with proper production inputs and systems management. It is within this framework, and through fruitful collaboration with the Iraqi national research program. that the research presented in this report was conducted. We hope that the results of this 4-year research study on improving the efficiency of water use will benefit the farmers in northern Iraq and other similar environments.