NENA Soil Partnership Conference: towards a regional implementation plan on sustainable management of soil resources

1-3 June 2015, Amman, Jordan

Status of Soil Resources and Priorities towards Sustainable Soil Management

Challenges, Opportunities, National Policies and Institutional Mechanisms

Country: IRAQ By: Dr.Iman Sahib Salman

Ministry of Agriculture

Introduction

Environmental conditions

Agricultural sector

a living organism

Large capital Slow

growth

Agricultural sector actively and associated product of most sectors:- • Electricity • Oil • Industry • Trading • Environment • Water resources • High education & scientific research • Interior • Finance • Transport

So the agricultural sector is:- - Ring in a series of sectors that make up the national

economy. - Considers the most important sector after the oil sector

in Iraqi economy of due to the assimilation of more than 30% of the manpower size and at its contribution at the present time in the national production by 7.6%

- Responds not less to the part of food consumption needs, providing goods and primary materials for many manufacturing industries.

- Means the food security, development the movement of the agricultural sectors means the movement of the entire community.

But the agricultural sector suffered from great neglect during the last decades of the twentieth century because of:-

what Iraq witness from the war

Being far away from the application of modern agricultural methods

Soil degradation and increasing salinity

fragmentation of holding

Lack of human development and the weakness of the requirements of integrated rural development

lack of water income as well as climate changes

Agricultural Sector

Soil resource Water resources

Major soil types in Iraq There are four major orders distributed according to physiographical areas and the nature of the parent material and climate factor:- - Aridisols - Entisols - Vertisols - Inceptisols - mollisols

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Aridisols it includes the suborders, Gypside, Calcids, Saldis, Argids and Campids

Gypsum soil represent about 33-35% of the area of Iraq and spread over the Tigris & Euphrates flats and island areas, along the hamrin mountains series from the north and near the Iranian border in the south.

Saline soil Spread in the alluvial plain especially in the central and south of Iraq.

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Classification of Salt-Affected soil in Iraq

• Shura soil

NaCl – Shure

Na2SO4 - Shure

MgSO4 - Shure

• Sabash soil

CaCl2 + MgCl2+MgSO4

Saline Sodic

Soil

EC > 4 dS/m

pH < 8.5

ESR ≥ 13

Entisols:- • Located in area adjacent to the collapsed, where a

high percentage of sand in which more than 85% such as soils affected by sand dunes.

Vertisols located in basins and depression containing more than 35% Clay, So there are cracks and slicken sides because of the 2:1 clay minerals which have the ability of swelling and shrinking.

Mollisols:- located in the plains adjacent to the mountains with dark color soil, rain precipitation and vegetation

Inceptisols:- in the foot hills and soils are at the beginning of evaluation.

Land used in Iraq Type of use Percentages % Area (000 Dunom)

Total agricultural land 27.5 48.0

Natural pasture 9.2 16.0

Natural forests 4.0 7.0

Barren Mountains 1.0 1.7

Desert 31.0 54.0

Lagoons surface and residential land

27.3 47.7

Total 100.0 174.4

Dunom= 2500m2

• There is two major challenges one of them is linked to the other:-

1-WATER SCARCITY . 2-SALINITY .

Major challenges of soil resources Policy and Institutions

Water scarcity:- 1st : low income and quality of water :- The main source of water in Iraq is the surface water . Both Tigris & Euphrates rivers originate in the mountains

of eastern Turkey. Approximately 98% of the water of the Euphrates are

generated with in Turkey. the Tigris receives almost half of its waters initially from

Turkey, an eligible amount as it forms borders between both Turkey and Syria and then Syria and Iraq, fed nearly half its remaining water from tributaries in Iraq, many of which originate in the mountains of western Iran.

high salinity and lack of nutrients as a result of releasing from dams and reservoirs.

2nd : environment - climate change

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- Iraq is characterized by an arid to semi-arid climate, being arid in the Eastern part and less so in Mesopotamia.

- annual means varying from 150

to 400 mm. Almost all rain falls during winter, December to February.

- potential evaporation rates are

high at >2000mm in summer because the high net solar radiation.

- Ambient temperatures range from 7 to 20 C in winter and 30 to 50 C or more in summer.

Salinity:

Salinity problem in Iraq is not a present phenomenon especially in center and south of Iraq. Factors responsible for salinity:- Natural factors:- - Marine sediments. - Weather of minerals. - Ground water. - climate (Arid semi- arid). - Heavy Soil texture

Salinity:

Salinity problem in Iraq is not a present phenomenon especially in center and south of Iraq. Factors responsible for salinity:- Natural factors:- - Marine sediments - Weather of minerals - Ground water - climate (Arid semi- arid) - Heavy Soil texture

- High ground water table - High salinity

Human – induced factors:- misuse of land resources

Irrigation with Drainage Water

Irrigation with Saline Well Water Wrong Water Transfer

Closed Drainage Canal Traditional irrigation Ignored maintenance

Low Productivity Of Agricultural Land

Water scarcity &Salinity

Desertification

Affect vegetation (Land Cover)

Opportunities towards sustainable soil management Expanding the modern agriculture technologies

Project of modern irrigation technologies

Covering 750ha through 6-8 years

Saving 3.6 billion m3

Irrigation new lands

Agriculture density

Leaching for reclamation of saline soil in central & south

Iraq

First:-

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Expansion of drip irrigation in plastic houses for vegetables

• reduce : - quantity of irrigation water use efficiency. - labor & bushes.

• Simplifying adding fertilizes fertigation . • maintenance suitable moisture in Rhizospher .

Second:-

purpose: Efficient irrigation water management by WUA in the pilot area. Main activities: trainings & extensions Targeted: 15 governorates for 3 phases

Third:- Project for spreading water uses Associations (WUA) with JICA

fourth:-

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Project of soil salinity management in central and south of Iraq

Australian Government Italian Government

International center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas

A B E F G C D

Fifth:- Iraqi Agrometrology network

A network of automatic weather stations installed and operated in various agricultural area in Iraq for the purpose of measuring the various weather elements.

To:- provision of data and information in real-time weather and

facilitate access to it constantly by the beneficiaries. Provide near and medium – term weather forecasts according to

information system linked to the network. Provide analysis, consulting and recommendations at the

appropriate times to the beneficiaries and contribute valuable support decision-making at the appropriate time.

sixth:- Cultivation of salt – tolerant varieties

Trees:-

Fodders

Crops

- Encourage the granting of loans to farmers for the maintenance of irrigation and drainage channels in accordance with the law of irrigation and drainage

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Seventh:-

Concluding remarks - the priority of challenges in Agricultural sectors is the low

productivity lands which caused through many interaction factors and the major ones are SOIL SALINITY and WATER SCARCITY.

- The development of the agricultural sector is dependent on the extent of the availability of sufficient quantities of fresh water as well as reclaimed lands.

To achieve sustainable soil management:- - Paying attention to land reclamation concept. - The necessity of developing soil and water appropriate management methods, especially modern irrigation methods and techniques. - Conservation of water resources : - water harvesting - other water resources. - drainage water. - use of treated waste water. - Development varieties of a strategic crops tolerant to

drought and salinity.

- Changing type of agriculture, choosing appropriate crops and suitable fertilization:- conservation agriculture (zero-tillage). crop consuming less quantities of water. adopting intensive agriculture in the soil affected salinity

through cultivation crops in the same location to maintain the salt balance in the root zone.

Continuing scientific researches and studies for the salinity and the development of adequate scientific management methods such as the effect of salts in soil and the demands of fertilizers and bio-fertilizers.

- support and encourage:- the private sector to invest in the agricultural sector

especially the promising areas in the desert.