Irrigated Agriculture

Water is the lifeblood of agriculture.  It's is a precious resource, especially in Iraq! The Tigris and Euphrates rivers run through Iraq, creating some beautiful alluvial valleys....where agriculture began!!!  As I fly over the country, I'm amazed at the amount of desert!!  Iraq is about the size of California, and a full 40% of it's land area is covered in desert!!  That is a lot of barren land.  

Recently I had the chance to visit a farmer's association outside of Baghdad that is trying to rehabilitate a pumping station.  Water from the river is lifted up, approximately 60 ft vertical, to feed into the irrigation system that provides water to 50,000 acres.  It's a large project, by Iraqi standards.  I think that I understood the irrigation system to be about 40 years old, and in a sad state of repair.  The picture in the middle shows the interior of the pump station.  The equipment on the right are the electric motors that turn the pumps, that lift the water up to the irrigation project canals, like the one shown in the lower photo.  The electric motors are powered by a couple of huge generators, because electrical power isn't reliable (like all of Iraq).  So, the farmers that rely on the water, have to pool their resources to buy fuel to power the generators, that then power the electric motors...that power the pumps....oh boy, there are a lot of moving parts!!!!

Check out the two Iraqis shown in that photo...they work at the pump station, and had evidently just come out of the water.  They have on their swimsuits and were still dripping wet.  Just after I took this picture, one of them opened an electrical panel and was flipping switches....still dripping wet and barefoot!!!  Evidently, OSHA has not found Iraq!!!!  

The picture at top shows some of the Iraqi farmers on the left, our BBA (bi-lingual, bi-cultural advisor) and one of our ag people.  They're walking along, holding a conversation with the help of the BBA who interprets.  Except for the clothing, it could be a scene from the States.

The photo at the bottom is of the irrigation canal.  Many of the canals are not lined in concrete.  I was glad to see this one with a concrete lining.  Notice the fields off in the distance on the right.  We walked to the field and learned that the corn was planted by hand.  It was at a much lower plant population than we'd see in a typical corn field in the States.  The field in the foreground was soybeans, also planted by hand.  

Mohammed's Story

In Iraq we are dependent on BBAs to do our work. BBA stands for "Bi-lingual, Bi-cultural Advisor". As the name implies, these people aren't just interpreters, we rely on them to bridge the language and cultural barriers that we encounter. Without them, our work would be impossible. Many of the BBAs were born in Iraq, and now live in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Europe. Since they were born in Iraq, they understand the language and the culture. Their work here makes our work possible.

Mohammed Al-Azadi is a friend that I met a few months ago. He works at a BBA for the agricultural team at the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Babil, Iraq. This is his story.

Mohammed was born in the southeastern province of Dhi Qar, in the town of Nassariya, in 1972. His father was in the Iraqi Army, and was captured during the Iran-Iraq War in 1987 and held as a prisoner in Iran until 1998. This meant that Mohammed was 15 years old when his father was captured. As the oldest child, Mohammed had to work in order to provide for his family, as well as attend school. He completed high school in 1985. He then attended Baghdad University where he received a B.S. degree in Agriculture in 1990.

After finishing college, Mohammed returned to Dhi Qar province. There was much discontent at that time in Iraq. The people felt that Saddam Hussein had led them into two needless and foolish wars...the Iran-Iraq War, and the Gulf War. People started to rise up, as they did in his home province, only to be attacked by the Iraqi Army under orders from Saddam Hussein. Since Mohammed was educated (and viewed as a threat by the Saddam Hussein regime), he felt forced to leave the country. In 1991 he left Iraq aboard a U.S. Air Force C-130 airplane as a refugee. He was transported to Saudi Arabia where he lived in a refugee camp for three years. Life in the camp was "hell"! The first 8 months were spent in crowded tents. The desert temperatures were hot during the day, and cold at night. The Saudis weren't hospitable. Many of the refugees were killed by the Saudis. However, he survived life in the refugee camp, and in fact met and married his wife there, and they also had 1 child born while in the refugee camp.

In 1994 he was interviewed by a UN office at the refugee camp, and processed for immigration to the U.S. A church in the Seattle area was his sponsor, and a private individual through the church assisted Mohammed and his young family get settled. For 18 months, he attended ESL (English as a Second Language) classes at night, while working during the day in a factory. In 1999 he became a U.S. citizen, along with his wife and their child that was born in the refugee camp. Mohammed stated that many of his friends from the refugee camp went to other countries, and he feels very fortunate to have ended up in the United States of America.

In 2005, Mohammed returned to his native Iraq as an English-speaking U.S. citizen, working as a BBA. This is a very important job, as his skills and background are necessary for anything to be accomplished!! I've seen him in action....quickly explaining to us how the political system works here, or how we can best work with the Ministry of Agriculture, then interpreting for us as we ask the Iraqi farmers about their needs. His work is invaluable to us, and the Iraqis!!

He still has family living in Iraq. I asked him about how his brothers and sisters feel about the direction in which their country is now headed. He said that they say life is better, they have hope for a better future, and now have better salaries than previously. They now have hope their children will inherit a better Iraq!

I asked Mohammed about being a Muslim in the U.S. He stated that this is not a problem, that the American citizens are so tolerant, especially about religion which makes him feel comfortable and safe to practice his religion, just as our Constitution promises. He said that cultural difficulties are more noticeable, particularly for his daughters when it comes to dress. They still wear the headscarf, the "hijab", and more loose-fitting clothes than their American-born classmates. He also stated that we Americans are such devoted workers....whereas the Iraqi culture emphasizes social interaction.

Mohammed plans on returning to the States by the end of the year. His family now includes a total of 4 children, the youngest three born in the States. He's been a valuable part of the rebuilding of Iraq, and I'm proud to know him!!