Shafaq News- Diyala

Thousands of farmers in Iraq’s Al-Azim subdistrict in Diyala Province may abandon their land unless authorities urgently adopt a plan to market this season’s wheat crop, a local official warned on Wednesday.

Nabil Al-Obaidi, the subdistrict director, told Shafaq News that the area, home to about 30,000 residents, depends largely on agriculture, “Wheat remains the main crop, followed by watermelon, yet no marketing plan has been announced for most farmers, except for a limited group using modern sprinkler irrigation systems who represent less than 10% of growers.”

Cautioning that the lack of a comprehensive government-backed program could undermine livelihoods and increase the risk of migration from the district, one of Diyala’s largest agricultural hubs, Al-Obaidi urged both central and local authorities to move quickly to sustain farming and expand support for producers.

Iraq, ranked among the five countries most vulnerable to climate change according to United Nations reports, continues to face a worsening drought fueled by declining rainfall and reduced river flows from upstream countries, including Turkiye and Iran. Official data from relevant ministries show that annual inflows have fallen to between 25 and 40 billion cubic meters in recent years, compared with historical levels that often exceeded 70 billion cubic meters. The decline has shrunk arable land, accelerated desertification, and strained food security, intensifying pressure on rural communities, with the Strategic Center for Human Rights reporting that Iraq has lost nearly 30% of its farmland over the past three decades.

Read more: Iraq’s water crisis: A structural rewrite of agricultural governance