Strategies for Addressing Climate Change and Mitigating its Impact on Sustainable Agricultural Development in Iraq

Abstract

The agricultural sector is one of the important pillars in the national economy of any country in the world. It plays a key role in economic growth through its primary function of contributing to  the formation  of GDP, food production for different populations, as well as its role in creating abundant job opportunities for various segments of society. Therefore, its development and sustainability is of high importance, and from here attention has turned towards achieving sustainable agricultural development, and identifying everything that affects it and is affected by it. Perhaps among the most important factors affecting it is (climate change), so the research aimed to shed light  on the reality and ways to  confront climate change and attempts to mitigate its repercussions on sustainable agricultural development in Iraq.

The research has finally found  that climate change in Iraq is in a state of serious escalation that has negative repercussions on the overall details of life in it, including economic life. The country faces an upward pattern of rising temperatures that continues to break historical records accompanied by low rainfall. Certainly, such a climatic reality has its effects on the agricultural  sector directly, and causes great  losses as a result  of the dry scorching weather accompanied by water scarcity, which leads to the reduction of vegetation cover, which causes land degradation, and the consequent increase in dust storms and desertification, which costs Iraq a great loss in its agricultural production. In the end, we proposed a set of recommendations at the level of sample countries, the most important of which  is to promote environmentally sound agricultural practices and refrain from using chemicals in agriculture to obtain green products. Sustainable production practices can improve agricultural productivity to achieve food security while preserving biodiversity, soil fertility and water use efficiency while reducing pressure to clear the natural environment and reduce desert space. In addition to recommending the need to follow modern technological methods in the agricultural sector capable of repelling or mitigating negative climate changes represented by sweeping the phenomenon of continuous increase in temperatures. In addition to the need to increase financial allocations directed to the development, development and protection of the agricultural sector from external influences, foremost of which is climate change.