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Agricultural Round Table addresses successes, solutions
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq – An Agriculture Round Table was conducted at the Joint Visitors Bureau on Camp Victory to discuss current issues in Multi-National Division-Center's area of operation Nov. 13.
This was the third round table held with MND-C leaders, which allowed attendees to measure the progress made since the last conference in August.
"There are two important aspects of a conference like this," said Brig. Gen. Jefforey A. Smith, MND-C deputy commanding general of support. "One is the discussion and dialogue and the sharing of thoughts . . . so I would encourage all of us to be good listeners. Second, and most important in my mind, is all of the work that has been done before this."
Multi-National Division-Center has worked closely with several organizations, such as Team Borlaug from Borlaug Institute of Texas A&M University and United States Agency for International Development, as well as provincial reconstruction teams and the Government of Iraq to develop recommendations and implement plans for a successful agricultural economy.
"We all operate in a resource-strained environment, and there is no amount of resources we are going to be able to apply in the next year to get the agricultural system in Iraq where it needs to be," said Smith. "I think the legacy those folks here will leave for those who come after us and to the Iraqi people is helping them with prioritizing how we apply the resources that are available to the agricultural industry."
Contrary to what Dr. Edwin Price, leader of Team Borlaug, expected, the main impact has not been the changes in technology or practices but more from empowering the Iraqi people to become more active and assertive in their leadership, economy and agricultural sector.
"There are programs that are closely tied to what we are doing that are, in fact, providing formal training to Iraqis," said Price. "For example, there is a USDA funded project that is called the Iraq Agriculture Extension Revitalization project . . . (which) provides training for and gives technology to farmers."
According to Price, it could be another five to 10 years before the agriculture sector is completely modernized and fully utilizing its irrigation capacity. Issues such as poorly bred animals and a weak variety of crops could be alleviated in the immediate future, meaning positive progress in the next two years.
"The whole infrastructure has a long way to go--there has been a decline in infrastructure for probably thirty years, but these are near-term objectives the Iraqis can be very successful at improving," said Price.
A functional agriculture sector in Iraq is imperative considering it is the main employer of the country; between 50 and 70 percent of the population derives their income and livelihood from farms or in "off farm" occupations built upon agricultural production.
