Interview
Ally Raza Qureshi, representative of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Iraq، speaking to Rudaw on June 28, 2022. Photo: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s agriculture has not adapted to the current climate conditions, a UN official told Rudaw last week, citing outdated agricultural methods as one of the reasons for the country’s decreased grains and foodstuff production.
Ally Raza Qureshi, representative of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Iraq, addressed the country’s recent drop in agricultural produce as well as the global price increase, stating that the war in Ukraine and climate change were the two main factors behind the phenomenon.
Qureshi said that Iraq was one of the top five countries most affected by climate change, adding that the impact was evident in the recent dust storms that have engulfed the country, as well as the decrease in water availability.
“A lot of the agriculture today in Iraq is unfortunately not adapted to the current climatic conditions,” Qureshi told Rudaw’s Mohammed Sheikh Fatih last week, adding “a majority of the farmers, their knowledge is based on the knowledge coming from fathers and forefathers, which was accustomed to the specific climate of that time.”
Iraq, still recovering from decades of war, is now facing new environmental challenges on an unprecedented scale: since mid-April, it has weathered a dozen dust storms that have often shrouded it in an otherworldly orange glow.
Water scarcity is also a severe issue in Iraq. The country is the fifth-most vulnerable nation to the effects of climate change, including water and food insecurity, according to the United Nations (UN), yet it is lagging behind its neighbors when it comes to a plan to protect its water resources.
Qureshi stated that considering the fact that Iraq is a net importer, meaning it depends on other countries to meet its food consumption demands; the country will now need to spend more money on importing foodstuff, due to the aforementioned circumstances.
Prices of flour and cooking oils have skyrocketed in local Iraqi markets, sparking demonstrations across the country. Iraqi officials blamed the conflict in Ukraine for the sudden price increase, which was later followed by the adoption of emergency law for food security by the Iraqi parliament. It aimed to confront food scarcity and global price increases.
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