Iraq
Progress and Activities
2008 UPDATES
Dr. Khidhir Hameed reports that there were 16 lectures on SRI held in Al-Muthanna Province, April 20-May 6, 2008, followed by establishment of SRI practices and applications in 16 demonstration fields (see report with photos). The National SRI Committee based at the Al-Mishkhab Rice Research Station (MRRS) in Najaf has received support from the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture for application of SRI in Najaf Province beginning next year (2009) for the two years. Because of water shortage this season, given reduction in rainfall, there is heightened interest in SRI possibilities. The State Board of Agricultural Extension and Cooperation and MRRS are setting up demonstrations of mechanical transplanting, following SRI principles, in four rice-growing provinces. (See 2008 photo album of SRI in Iraq).
2007 ACTIVITIES
Review of 2007 SRI Results
Dr. Khidhir Hameed and colleagues at the Al-Mishkhab Rice Research Station near Najaf have sent a summary of their SRI work this past year, which involved evaluations of SRI practices such as age of seedling, spacing, fertilization, and varietal responses. One interesting result was that in the soil where the trials were done, Jasmine rice gave its highest yield with no fertilization, chemical or organic, 6.1 t/ha. With variety Furat 1, highest yield was with 70 kg N, 6.88 t/ha. Other trials showed organic fertilization outperforming chemical fertilization, but with highest yield coming with some combination of both.
The report from Iraq has a picture of a simple device (below-left and right) made for 
guiding inter-plant spacing when transplanting which Iraqi colleagues have found helpful. Their demonstration and extension activities were conducted in 25 locations within 
Iraq during 2007. In February 2008, training in SRI methods was planned for 2000 farmers in Muthanna Province. The report includes the results from experiments with mechanical transplanting, which gives good yield with reduced labor, though the highest yield has been achieved with SRI methods. Of interest outside Iraq may be the results that Khidhir and colleagues have gotten using clover as a green manure/cover crop rotating with SRI. This improved soil characteristics and raised rice yields by an average of 24% on soils that are not otherwise very fertile.
• Visitors shown SRI Demonstrations at Mishkab Rice Research Station
Dr. Khidir has sent in a report (with excellent photos) on various agricultural officials at different levels in the Iraqi government who have been visiting the Al-Mishkab station this past few months to see the results of SRI trials and demonstrations.
• SRI Training Course Held in Diwaniya province
The State Board of Agricultural Extension and Cooperation and MRRS held a five day training course, 9-13 September 2007, at the Agriculture Extension and Training Center in Diwaniya province. Flayeh Abed Jaber, MRRS director, and Khidir made presentations to 28 agricultural staff from 8 provinces (Baghdad, Messan, Babel, Diwaniya, Muthanna, Thi Qar, Basrah, and Najaf). The training included the theoretical and practical parts on using new mechanical transplanting, its benefits and economic analysis (-see report).
•SRI
in the Iraqi Media
Dr. Khidir
Hameed reports that they have been able to get SRI concepts
published in the Iraqi media, with feature articles in Tareek
Al-Shaab (People’s Way) and Al-Sabaah (The Morning),
important newspapers, and an article in the magazine, Iraq
Agriculture,
published by the Ministry of Agriculture (see
media report). Dr. Hameed has also sent several TV program
clips about his SRI work and related rice projects in Iraq.
The downloadable material, which is in Arabic, was originally
broadcast on Al
Ghadeer TV (23.8 MB) in the province of Najaf (24.8 MB),
Al Diyar TV in
Baghdad (2.84 MB) and Salah
Al-Deen, which is also in
Baghdad (18.0 MB).
•Formal SRI Committee Established in Iraq
Dr. Hameed reports that an SRI
committee has been established with several staff of the
Al-Mishkab Rice Research Station (MRRS) near Najaf, including
its Director, and a representative from the General Company for
Horticulture and Forestry, which has experience with the production
and management of organic matter. The committee intends to promote
extension of SRI methods in Iraq and to formulate a national
SRI project.
2006
ACTIVITIES
•Adaptations
of SRI Being Used in Iraq
Dr.
Khidir A. Hameed (left) has reported on adaptations of SRI being
evaluated
at the Al-Mishkhab Rice Research Station near Najaf in southern
Iraq during 2006 (see report).
Because labor scarcity has made transplanting difficult in this
country, a ‘parachute planting’ method
has been introduced, throwing young seedlings onto a shallow-puddled
field, where they establish themselves without being pushed into
the soil. (Click on
Dr Hameed's photo to enlarge). The
trials carried out in three provinces (Basrah, Messan and Thi-Qar)
were impressive enough that the Minister of Agriculture, when
visiting them, promised to support extension of the new methods.
The average increase across all trials was only slightly positive,
but this included trials where yields were reduced due to improper
nursery management, including no water control, and high water
salinity.
Where the SRI elements were conjoined effectively,
yield increases of 20-26% were achieved with reduction in water
requirements (important in this area). SRI
has gotten researchers to pay more attention to use of organic
matter instead of relying entirely on chemical fertilizer, 
with
promising results. They have found that they can get cost-effective
results with just 10 t/ha of composted manure rather than 15
t/ha as was expected to be necessary. The research staff (click
on picture at right to enlarge) plan to establish committees
in all rice-growing provinces of Iraq for further trials and
demonstrations in 2007.
Workshops and Trainings
A field day was held on October 22, 2007, at the Al-Mishkhab Rice Research Station in Najaf, Iraq. In attendance were the Director of Rice Development Department; General Director of State Board of Agricultural Research; Head of Najaf Agricultural Committee; and Director of Najaf Directorate of Agriculture.
• The State Board of Agricultural Extension and Cooperation and MRRS held a five day training course, 9-13 September 2007, at the Agriculture Extension and Training Center in Diwaniya province. Flayeh Abed Jaber, MRRS director, and Khidir made presentations to 28 agricultural staff from 8 provinces (Baghdad, Messan, Babel, Diwaniya, Muthanna, Thi Qar, Basrah, and Najaf).
• A training program on SRI held in Al-Muthanna Province, April 20-May 6, 2008, followed by establishment of SRI practices and applications in 16 demonstration fields.
Reports
• Hameed, Khidhir. 2007. System of Rice Intensification in Iraq during 2007. Al-Mishkhab Rice Research Station. Najaf, Iraq. 17p.
• Hameed, Khidhir. 2007. Interest of some managers on SRI in Iraq. Al-Mishkhab Rice Research Station. Najaf, Iraq. 2p.
• Hameed, Khidhir. 2006. Extension of SRI methods in Iraq marshes, Al-Mishkhab Rice Research Station. Najaf, Iraq. 6p.
(also includes 3 -page section on SRI organic matter trials).
• Hameed, Khidhir Abbas. 2005. Report on System of Rice Intensification Performance in 2005 Season in Iraq. Al-Mishkhab Rice Research Station. Najaf, Iraq. 2p.
• Summaries of other Arabic language printed material :
2007 articles in two Iraqi newspapers: Tareek Al-Shaab (People’s Way) and Al-Sabaah (The Morning)
The Iraq Agriculture magazine published by the Ministry of Agriculture to support its agricultural extension efforts, published an article on the concepts of SRI.
Videos and Photo Sets
Six photo sets on SRI in Iraq have been supplied by Dr. Hameed (2008)
Dr. Khidir Hameed has provided the following downloadable Arabic language TV program
clips about his SRI work and related rice projects in Iraq (2007):
• Al
Ghadeer TV clip (23.8 MB) in the province of Najaf
• Al Diyar TV in
Baghdad (2.84 MB)
• Salah
Al-Deen, in
Baghdad (18.0 MB).
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