Iraq is known for its mix of geographic landscape; while arid lands are widespread in the southern and middle parts of the country and irrigated agriculture is dominant, the northern Kurdistan region, is mountainous and depends on rain-fed agriculture. This diversification provides with a good opportunity to invest in different crops that are suited for each region which also meets the demand of a market window in different seasons of the year. This IHD program will adopt a pragmatic approach in tackling challenges faced by Iraqi farmers through introducing innovative farming technologies that are best suited for the Iraqi climate
Though taking into account the different geographic landscapes and accessibility, the program will launch activities in three different regions of the country; southern, northern and central Iraq. In each region two farmers will be identified to act as 'change agents' by adopting protected and open field farming practices and relevant technology. Those lead farmers shall be the driving force in attracting peers as demonstration sites are built and present with an opportunity to witness effect and results.
To date, the IHD team has visited several farms in KRI and discussed the limitations of the existing farming system and the market demand for improved quality production in Iraq. During these assessments, we have identified several enthusiastic partner growers who could potentially become early adopters of the introduced technologies to be supported by the project. These famers were selected based on a pre-set criteria in compliance with all requirements needed to become a partner. After the initial compliance of the lead farmers with the pre-set conditions, the next step will be conducting physical visits of the nominated sites to check their land suitability, water availability and quality, types of crops, current markets, and climate attributes.