The Agricultural Economy of Iraq (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from The Agricultural Economy of Iraq

The outstanding features of Iraq are its two great rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. Both these rivers rise in the highlands of eastern Turkey and flow southeastward through Iraq. They join in the southeast and form the shatt-al-arab River, which flows south into the Persian Gulf. The lower portion of the country is delta and alluvial plains that slowly rise in the west and northwest to broad desert plains and a belt of hills and rugged mountains to the north and north east. About 47 percent of the country can be classified as desert and desert steppe; Two seasons, summer and winter, predominate. The summers are long,hot, and very dry. Winters are usually mild but at times can be quite cold. What precipitation there is falls between November and June and varies considerably between adequate rainfall for unirrigated agriculture in the north to practically no rainfall in the southwest. There are also great variations in rainfall from year to year. The rivers rise to flood stage in the spring. In recent years many millions of dollars have been spent in water control systems to prevent devastation from spring floods.

A population of over 7 million is mostly concentrated in the central plain between the two rivers and in the foothills of the northeast. A great majority of this population and about two thirds of the labor force derive their livelihood from agricultural pursuits. Agriculture has contributed about 20 percent to the national product. Petroleum accounts for over 90 percent of Iraq's foreign exchange and is by far the outstanding industry. However, oil companies directly employ less than 1 percent of the country's labor force. On the other hand, oil has made it possible to implement ambitious development programs that are having a considerable impact, both directly and indirectly, on agriculture.

The origin of the land tenure system in Iraq has been quite complex. By the end of the Ottoman period a feudalistic structure and tribal groupings familiar in the Middle East had developed. As a result, the system culminated in large holdings, absentee landlords, and great tracts of land falling to State ownership.

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