If dealing with violence and disorder wasn't hard enough, Iraqi agriculturalists have a whole other host of problems. An encroaching desert, and high levels of salt in a scarce water supply are also hindering Iraq's food supply and farmers' incomes. As if things weren't hard enough, a drought is expected to compound the country's farming woes this year.
Considering how many different institutions have pledged to help, one can't help wonder how the question of delivering the assistance is being approached in the face of seemingly insurmountable difficulties. One of those involved in the revitalization is none other than the U.S. Army.
Getting into the business of farm restoration, the Army's Civil Affairs Task Force from Camp Bucca in the south of Iraq gave $2.34 million worth of farming supplies last month to the Umm Qasr and Safwan Farmers Associations and Town Councils.
OhMyGov.com gained some insight into the finer details of farm aid in Iraq, and the Army's role in delivering it, thanks to 1st Lieutenant John A. Brimley, who is stationed in Baghdad.
“Currently, the output capacity of Iraqi agriculture does not meet the equilibrium of the supply-demand curve,” he said, painting a picture of the problem that even someone who failed ECON101 could understand. Those who passed ECON101 might say you can make up a supply shortage through trade, but neglecting Iraq's agriculture would be foolish.
“Agriculture can easily create a surplus in time,” Lt. Brimley said. “But the non-competitiveness of the agricultural sector does not contribute as significantly to the national GDP as it could, nor does it provide the level of income to those employed as its potential indicates.”
The sooner Iraq can feed itself, the sooner people like Lt. Brimley will be on their way home. Agriculture not only employs a significant number of Iraqis, it could also be a significant source of income in world markets, potentially making it a “major contributor” to national wealth. Although Lt. Brimley said that the army has not seen an inverse correlation between agricultural output and violence, there is little doubt that farm aid is having positive effects.
“The best empirical link we can make is that we have noticed an increase in employment levels where we have concentrated on the development of agriculture, as well as other economic development,” he said. “Where we have higher levels of legitimate employment, we have lower levels of violence and insurgent activity.”
In addition to the army, whose primary function obviously is not to provide farm aid, an entire team of technocrats from various government agencies are assisting with the effort. Pitching in are officials from the State Department, USAID, the USDA, and relevant Iraqi ministries (Agriculture, Education, Higher Education, Water Resources), as well as a myriad of non-governmental organizations. Multinational agribusinesses, for better or worse, are also getting involved.
But with so many different authorities in the mix, is there any doubt about who is taking the lead on development? Predictably, there is no concise answer.
“Assistance programs to the agricultural sector in Umm Qasr, as in all other provinces, are actually under the purview of the Department of State,” Lt. Brimley explained. “In most cases, the Provincial Reconstruction Team is the lead agency and the lead proponent is the USDA representative on those teams for agricultural support. In certain other projects the lead agency has usually been USAID. Other projects and programs assistance have been requested directly from the Government of Iraq.”
Though the inter-agency rivalry may create some disagreement about tactics, Lt. Brimley says that everyone is on the same page strategically. The goals remains restoring the capabilities of Iraq's subsistence and commercial farms through the provision of equipment and the teaching of modern farming techniques — the latter of which has eluded Iraqis due to nearly thirty years of sanctions, war and mismanagement.
“As military forces have turned over security responsibilities in the provinces, and with the transition of authority to the Government of Iraq as of January, 2009, the focus has been to transition our assistance programs to full control of local agricultural unions and relevant agencies of the Government of Iraq.”
Despite the fact that the military is ready to transfer the control of their farm aid programs to Iraqi authorities, Iraqi farmers still have a long way to go. Farm assistance has not always been a top priority of the American leadership in Iraq — the world witnessed this when U.S. troops chose not to secure Iraqi agricultural ministries after Baghdad fell.
Lieutenant Brimley knows all about the hardships Iraqi farmers have had to face throughout the conflict without well organized support.
“Agriculture production has been on a steady decline since 2004 due to lack of seeds, plastic covers and irrigation devices formerly subsidized by the government, price competitiveness because of the imports from neighboring states, high production costs in light of the current inflation rates, abandonment of agriculture by many workers seeking easier and higher income, and the increasing desertification phenomenon that damaged hundreds of arable farms.”
The task facing those involved, however, is not Mission: Impossible. The effort like the one last month in Umm Qasr and Safwan are an example of how simple solutions are “creating employment and ensuring food security” in Iraq. Lieutenant Brimley spoke highly of the assistance to Umm Qasr and Safwan, home to some 2,000 active farms and located in the fertile Basra province.
The aid included basic supplies — tomato seeds, greenhouses, and generators. Water trucks, tractors and aid to reopen an idle plastic factory were also given, but only after the Iraqis could provide sustainable business plans. If successful, the plan could even provide aid workers with a blueprint for help in the rest of the country.
“The efforts of the 42nd MP BDE Civil Affairs Team has provided the farming community in this strategic border and maritime shipping area of Basra province with a good foundation to increase agriculture production,” Lt. Brimley stated. He was quick, however to not count any unhatched chickens, and stressed that Iraqis themselves would have to do most of the dirty (farm) work. “
“A comprehensive approach must be planned and executed by the provincial government in order to promote the self-sufficiency of the area's agriculture sector.”
Photo credit: MC1 Mario Quiroga, USN
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