http://www.fao.org/globalsoilpartnership This presentation was made during the NENA Soil Partnership Conference that took place in Amman, Jordan 1-3 June 2015. This presentation was made by Dr.Iman Sahib Salman, and it presents the Status of Soil Resources and Priorities towards Sustainable Soil Management in Iraq. ©FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. 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

2. Introduction
Environmental
conditions
Agricultural
sector
a living
organism
Large
capitalSlow
growth

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

4. 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.

5. 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

6. Agricultural
Sector
Soil resource Water resources

7. 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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8. 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.

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

12. 7/17/2015 12
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

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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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

19. • 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

20. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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

24. 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

25. - High ground water table
- High salinity

26. 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

27. Low Productivity Of
Agricultural Land
Water scarcity &Salinity
Desertification

28. Affect vegetation (Land Cover)

29. 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:-

30. 7/17/2015 30
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:-

31. 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

32. 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 GC D

33. 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.

34. 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.

35. sixth:-
Cultivation of salt – tolerant varieties
Trees:-
Fodders
Crops

36. - Encourage the granting of loans to farmers for the maintenance of
irrigation and drainage channels in accordance with the law of
irrigation and drainage
36
Seventh:-

37. 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.

38. 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.

39. - 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.