Shafaq
\nNews<\/p>\n
Nearly
\n78% of Iraq\u2019s territory is either already desertified or vulnerable to further
\nland degradation, according to official Iraqi and United Nations data,
\nthreatening farmland, rural livelihoods and food security as rising salinity
\nand shrinking water resources reshape one of the Middle East\u2019s oldest
\nagricultural landscapes.<\/p>\n
The
\ncrisis has moved beyond Iraq\u2019s desert regions, reaching fertile areas once
\nsustained by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Productive fields are
\ndisappearing, vegetation cover is declining, and communities dependent on
\nfarming, fishing and livestock are facing growing uncertainty as environmental
\npressures intensify.<\/p>\n
In 2025,
\nthe World Bank identified Iraq as among the countries most vulnerable to
\nclimate change, warning that rising temperatures, lower rainfall and worsening
\nwater shortages are placing additional pressure on agriculture, ecosystems and
\neconomic development.<\/p>\n
The Iraq
\nGreen Observatory, an Iraqi-based environmental monitoring group, describes
\ndesertification and land degradation as among the country\u2019s most serious
\nenvironmental and economic challenges. \u201cDesertification has struck Iraq hard
\nover the past two decades, and the latest official data and environmental
\nreports available through June 2026 indicate that the scale of the problem
\ncontinues to expand,” Observatory member Omar Abdul Latif told Shafaq
\nNews.<\/p>\n
Around
\n55% of Iraq\u2019s territory has already become desertified, while another 23.2%
\nremains vulnerable to further degradation, according to Abdul Latif. Together,
\nthe figures mean that nearly four-fifths of the country is either already
\naffected or at risk of losing productive capacity unless action is taken to
\nslow the deterioration.<\/p>\n
The
\nimpact is particularly severe in agriculture, where decades of land
\ndegradation, overgrazing and declining water resources have steadily reduced
\nIraq\u2019s productive capacity.<\/p>\n
Abdul
\nLatif estimated that Iraq has lost between 15% and 30% of its agricultural land
\nover the past three decades because of worsening environmental conditions.<\/p>\n
For many
\nrural households, the losses threaten a major source of income. Agriculture
\nremains central to communities that depend on crop production, livestock, and
\nrelated activities, according to assessments by the Food and Agriculture
\nOrganization (FAO).<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2019The
\ndamage has been especially severe in irrigated farmland. Around 71% of Iraq\u2019s
\nirrigated land has been affected by desertification, a considerably higher
\nshare than in neighboring Turkiye and Syria,\u2019\u2019 Abdul Latif noted.<\/p>\n
What was
\nonce largely associated with Iraq\u2019s arid regions has spread into the
\nMesopotamian alluvial plain, an area historically known for fertile soil and
\nagricultural production along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.<\/p>\n
Rising
\nsalinity has emerged as another major threat to cultivation. Abdul Latif
\nrevealed that about 61% of Iraq\u2019s agricultural land is now vulnerable to salt
\naccumulation, while the country loses roughly 100,000 dunams (25,000 hectares)
\nof productive land each year because of worsening soil conditions.<\/p>\n
The
\nbuildup of salt has been linked to continued reliance on traditional flood
\nirrigation, weak drainage networks and rising saline groundwater, which have
\naccelerated soil degradation across agricultural areas. <\/p>\n
Read more: Death in the current: Pollution decimates Iraq\u2019s river ecosystems<\/a><\/p>\n Rivers Behind The The “The The discharge Read more: The cost of filth: Iraq among the world\u2019s most polluted nations<\/a><\/p>\n Environmental Half of Iraq\u2019s The city “The The According Although
\nRun Dry<\/p>\n
\nthe loss of productive farmland lies a deeper water crisis affecting both the
\navailability and quality of Iraq\u2019s freshwater resources.<\/p>\n
\ncountry relies heavily on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for its water supply,
\nleaving it highly vulnerable to reduced river flows, changing rainfall patterns
\nand rising temperatures. Assessments by the World Bank and FAO have warned that
\ndeclining water availability is already affecting agriculture, ecosystems and
\nrural communities.<\/p>\n
\nchallenge is not only the amount of water reaching Iraq\u2019s fields. The quality
\nof that water is also deteriorating. Agricultural drainage has placed
\nadditional pressure on the country\u2019s waterways, with large quantities of saline
\nwater returning to the same river systems that support farming and ecosystems.<\/p>\n
\ncountry’s waterways are facing additional strain from agricultural
\ndrainage,” Abdul Latif remarked, pointing out that Iraq releases around 23
\nbillion cubic meters of saline drainage water into its rivers each year.<\/p>\n
\nhas increased salinity levels in the Tigris, Euphrates, and Shatt al-Arab
\nwaterways, affecting agricultural production and placing additional pressure on
\nfisheries.<\/p>\n
\ndecline has also become increasingly visible in Iraq\u2019s cities, where
\ndisappearing vegetation has weakened natural barriers against heat and dust.<\/p>\n
\nforests and green belts have disappeared over recent decades, removing
\necosystems that once helped reduce dust storms and slow the spread of dry
\nconditions. Baghdad offers one of the clearest examples of this transformation.
\nMuch of the capital\u2019s green belt has vanished, while dusty days have increased
\nsharply.<\/p>\n
\nnow experiences around 272 dusty days each year, compared with roughly 24
\nannually in the 1970s, according to the Iraq Green Observatory.<\/p>\n
\nincrease in dust storms has become one of the most visible signs of Iraq’s
\nchanging environment, affecting transportation, public health and daily life
\nacross the country,” it added, noting that with fewer trees and green
\nspaces available to absorb heat and trap dust particles, urban areas have
\nbecome more exposed to higher temperatures, poorer air quality and the broader
\nconsequences of changing weather patterns.<\/p>\n
\nconsequences are also reshaping life in Iraq\u2019s rural communities, particularly
\nin the Mesopotamian Marshes, which were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage
\nSite in 2016 for their ecological and cultural importance.<\/p>\n
\nto the Iraq Green Observatory, thousands of villages have lost income from
\nfarming, fishing and water buffalo breeding as ecosystems have deteriorated.
\nLower water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates, together with reduced water
\nreleases, have dried up large parts of the marshes in recent years,
\ncontributing to livestock losses, declining fish stocks and the migration of
\nmany rural families to urban areas.<\/p>\n
\nimproved water availability in parts of the marshes during 2026 helped restore
\nsome ecosystems, the recovery remains fragile without stable water allocations
\nand long-term management of the country\u2019s water resources.<\/p>\n