Author: Khidhir Abbas Hameed Title: Rice Water Management and Reduction in Iraq Presented at: The 5th International Rice Congress (SRI research side event) Venue: Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore Date: October 16, 2018

1. Rice water management
and reduction in Iraq
Khidhir Abbas Hameed
Ministry of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Office
IRAQ
5th
International Rice Congress, Singapore , 15-17 October 2018

2. • Climate: excessive aridity, fluctuating rainfall (100 –
200 mm in Central and South; up to 1000 mm in
northern area)
• Precipitation: 155 billion m³ per year, but only 10%
of this can be used for irrigation
• Surface Water: The E-Tigris water was approx. 78-80
BCM in 1990; recently, this flow has declined by half
• Ground Water: 2.4 BCM currently used for irrigation
The aridity of the climate imposes great constraints on both
irrigated and dry rice farming
Less water results in declining production of rice
5th International Rice Congress, Singapore , 15-17 October 2018
Overview for Iraq:

3. Irrigation Water Issues In Iraq
 Low water productivity
 Decline in water quality
 Shortages in water supply
 Traditional methods of irrigation being used
 Low water use efficiency
 Regulation is needed but not very effective

4. Iraq’s Rice Challenge
 Usually, the conventional method of irrigated rice production
involves continuous submergence of rice fields, maintaining a
layer of water 10 cm deep during the growing season.
 Cropping system of rice in alternation with wheat has
frequently exhausted the soil.
 Generally, seed is directly sown onto ploughed soil, and large
amounts of seed are used.
New strategy is needed to maintain high rice productivity of
with less water and other resources, including seeds
5th International Rice Congress, Singapore , 15-17 October 2018

5. Research Objectives
The Agricultural Research Office has adapted the
internationally best-practice approach called the
System of Rice Intensification (SRI), developed in
Madagascar and applied in many other countries.
Objectives:
-Increase rice yield and production, improve soil
conditions, and reduce water consumption.
-Support farmers with a better understanding of
agronomic conditions through effective and efficient
management approach assisting in increasing net gains.
5th International Rice Congress, Singapore , 15-17 October 2018

6. SRI Principles
 Early transplanting of seedlings.
 One seedling per hill.
 Wide spacing between seedlings.
 Moisten the soil using interval irrigation.
 Weeding using rotary hoe or by hand,
not using chemical herbicides to reduce the
pollution of the soil and water, and
 Using organic fertilization as much as With Prof. Norman Uphoff
possible to enhance the soil fertility. Cornell University, NY, USA
All these used together give better growth and performance of rice plants
“SRI is considered as a methodology rather than as a technology”
5th International Rice Congress, Singapore , 15-17 October 2018

7. Water Consumption for Different Rice Cultivation
Methods
5th International Rice Congress, Singapore , 15-17 October 2018
Cultivation
method
Irrigation days Water
consumption
)m³/ha(
Direct seeding
)wet method(
132 94,806
Direct seeding
)dry method(
132 85,887
Manual transplanting 123 75,275
Short-duration
varieties
76 42,971
SRI methodology 95 21,600
Sprinkler irrigation 132 20,500

16. Difference in SRI phenotypes vs conventional method
5th International Rice Congress, Singapore , 15-17 October 2018

17. Recommendation
Water management strategy with
SRI methodology could help deal
with the shortage in water that is
facing Iraqi farmers now and in the
foreseeable future.

18. Future directions for research on water
1.Studies on nutrient management with special
reference to increasing organic sources and inputs.
2.Precise quantification of savings made in water.
3.Studies on microbial activity and detailed work on
root systems.
4.Identification of locations which are most suitable for
System of Rice Intensification (SRI) with socio-economic
analysis of SRI.
5.Application of environment-friendly methods to save
the natural resource base.
6.Improve local rice varieties that are adaptable to
drought and water stress, with salinity tolerance, and
high yield having good quality.
7.Develop a strategy to use sustainably saline water
for irrigation and reclamation.