Farmers in northern Iraq turn to new ways to cultivate their land

In the farming village of Ewaynat, the rhythm of life once followed the seasons. Farmers planted, watched the sky for rain, and trusted the land to respond as it always had. But in recent years, that rhythm has begun to falter.

“The land had a rhythm,” says Mohammed, a farmer in Ewaynat village in Ninewa. “Now that rhythm feels broken.”

Mohammed and other farmers in Ewaynat village used to trust the seasons, but years of drought and changing rainfall patterns have reshaped daily life, affecting their livelihoods as agricultural costs rise and harvests become less predictable.

“We suffered many losses; we sometimes even hesitated to plant crops at all,” Mohammed says. “Ten years ago, this kind of uncertainty was rare.” 

That hesitation reflects the growing uncertainty climate shocks have brought to rural Iraq. Each planting season now carries greater risk, forcing farmers to decide whether to invest time, fuel, and seeds in crops that may never grow.

In communities like Ewaynat, where agriculture is the main source of income and deeply connected to people’s identity and sense of belonging, the stakes are high. When that stability begins to disappear, families are left weighing whether to stay on land they have farmed for generations or move in search of a more secure future.

To help farmers adapt, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is supporting training in dry farming techniques, zero tillage, and conservation agriculture – practical approaches designed for areas where rainfall is increasingly limited.

For farmers in Ewaynat, these methods offer new ways to reduce costs, conserve soil moisture, and continue cultivating the land even as weather patterns become less reliable.

Beyond training, farmers are gaining access to machinery through the local Department of Agriculture, while the University of Mosul’s Conservation Agriculture Research Centre has received research equipment to study and promote climate-resilient practices.

Together, these efforts create a bridge between research and everyday farming, helping communities test new methods and gradually integrate them into their fields.

For Mohammed, water has always determined success in farming. But with modern equipment, farmers are less dependent on frequent rainfall.

“Modern equipment has reduced our need for rainfall,” he explains. “Now even one or two good rains during the season can be enough.” 

Another Ninewa farmer, twenty-five-year-old Fahad, has also felt the effects of climate impacts firsthand.

“Low rainfall has greatly affected us,” Fahad says. “Our source of income has become unstable. There were seasons when drought left us with no harvest at all. If this situation continues, farmers may be forced to leave agriculture and move to the cities.”

For younger farmers like Fahad, the uncertainty surrounding agriculture raises difficult questions about the future of rural life. Farming is not only a livelihood but a connection to land, family history, and community traditions.

Even without drought, conventional farming requires significant financial and environmental resources.

“Agriculture used to cost us about six barrels of fuel a year,” Fahad explains – a heavy expense for many farming households.

He believes modern methods can help ease that burden. By disturbing the soil less and reducing the number of tractor passes needed to prepare fields, zero tillage farming uses less fuel and water while improving soil health.

These approaches also reduce the need for fertilizers, helping farmers manage costs while protecting the land they rely on. 

In total, 70 farmers from Ewaynat village have received hands-on training in climate-smart agriculture, along with small grants that allow them to test and adopt these new practices.

For many participants, the training represents more than a technical shift. It offers reassurance that farming in their village still has a future, even as the climate becomes more unpredictable.

With machinery remaining available through the local Department of Agriculture, farmers continue to share knowledge with neighbours and relatives, helping climate-smart practices spread through the community. 

Ewaynat village reflects a broader challenge faced by farming communities across Iraq, where drought, rising temperatures, and drying waterways are steadily reshaping rural life.

As water becomes scarcer and harvests more uncertain, some families are already considering migration in search of work, water, and stability elsewhere.

Yet in Ninewa’s fields, farmers are also finding ways to adapt.

Through climate-smart techniques and shared knowledge, seeds are beginning to take root again – even in dry soil. For farmers like Mohammed and Fahad, these changes offer a chance to remain on their land, protect their livelihoods, and continue a way of life that has defined their community for generations.