Iraq: Ministry of Agriculture Moves to Implement Projects to Combat Desertification and Sand Dune Encroachment

The Ministry of Agriculture has announced two projects aimed at stabilizing sand dunes in Dhi Qar and Salah al-Din, while also confirming the inclusion of a 100-kilometer roadside afforestation project linking three provinces.
The Director General of the Forestry and Desertification Control Department at the Ministry, Bassam Kanaan Abdul Jabbar, stated to the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that the ministry places great importance on combating desertification in Iraq by adopting several projects designed to halt sand dune encroachment and reduce the negative impacts of sand and dust storms.
He explained that the department is currently implementing two sand dune stabilization projects. The first is in Al-Fajr district in Dhi Qar Governorate and involves multiple anti-desertification techniques, including mechanical methods such as clay coating of sand dunes and the construction of earthen barriers to limit sand movement, in addition to biological treatments such as planting trees and shrubs that can withstand harsh environmental conditions.
He added that the second project is being implemented in Baiji district in Salah al-Din Governorate and relies on planting dry cuttings in areas affected by desertification and sand dune encroachment. He noted that several provinces, particularly in the Middle Euphrates and southern Iraq, are experiencing expanding desertification. One area known as “Qati’ah,” located between Dhi Qar, Muthanna, and Diwaniyah, is considered a hotspot for sand dune encroachment and a source of dust storms.
He further pointed out that the ministry has included a project within the 2025 federal investment plan to plant both sides of the highway linking the three provinces with environmentally resilient trees and shrubs. The project will cover three rows along a distance of 100 kilometers, with seedlings supplied by the department’s nurseries. He noted that work is awaiting the release of the 2026 federal budget to resume implementation.
Among the techniques adopted to combat desertification is the cultivation of 10 kilometers using water-harvesting methods, where catchment systems were established and around 4,000 seedlings of Syrian thistle were planted. In addition, 3,750 seedlings were planted using the same method with drip irrigation along a distance of 5 kilometers.
He also highlighted coordination with national and international entities, including the National University in Dhi Qar Governorate, where a 10-kilometer drip irrigation project was implemented involving 6,000 Syrian thistle seedlings, along with the dispersal of approximately 3,000 kilograms of the plant’s seeds.
He confirmed that the Forestry and Desertification Control Department has continued its work despite limited resources and delayed budgets in previous years, completing clay coating of sand dunes over an area of 1,508 dunams and constructing 58 kilometers of earthen barriers.