Iraq is facing a silent crisis. While headlines scream about political instability, a far more insidious threat is brewing beneath the surface: the rapid depletion of its groundwater. Farmers, desperate for survival in the face of crippling droughts, are turning to wells, spurred on by government incentives for desert farming....
Iraq, a nation historically known for its rich cultural heritage and vast oil reserves, is now venturing into an ambitious agricultural endeavor: desert farming. This new effort would not only help improve our food security, it would help improve our over-reliance on imported fresh produce. In the process, it has...
Today’s Iraqi agricultural boom, made possible by tapping into precious groundwater reserves in desert provinces such as Najaf, is all too reminiscent. Indeed, the government’s drive for self-sufficiency in wheat—accomplished through subsidized land leases and irrigation—is laudable on its face. Farmers are now tilling a land area equal to twenty...
