Farmers in Meysan have had to reduce the size of their cultivated areas or discontinue farming in parts of their land due to the drying up of canals that once supplied water to their fields and the failure of water to reach the required levels. Abu Ali, a farmer, stated that in recent seasons, falling crop yields combined with water shortages, rising seed, fertilizer, and labor costs, resulted in crop revenues failing to cover agricultural expenses. Some farmers under these conditions have been reported to have moved from rural to urban areas in search of daily employment.
Cاسم حسين عبد الله, a member of the advisory office of the agricultural engineers' union, said that water scarcity, pollution, and land divisions inherited from the past, along with poor land reclamation efforts and deficiencies in irrigation management, have intensified the crisis. Fragmented land ownership has led to the proliferation of small-scale farming operations, with farmers forced to establish separate irrigation channels, which increase water loss compared to regular irrigation systems. The long-standing inactivity of land reclamation projects and the declining role of specialist companies in developing irrigation infrastructure have also weakened farmers' capacity to cope with water scarcity.
Disparities in the distribution of water allocations are also identified as a key issue. While some provinces experience water abundance and overuse, serious water shortages have been reported in southern Iraq and swamp regions, even during years of increased rainfall. The loss of water has led to a range of consequences, including declining production, abandonment of farmland, desertification, or repurposing of land for other uses. He called on the government to review its agricultural policy, reactivate land reclamation and irrigation projects, ensure equitable water delivery to farmers, and support local production. He also warned that food prices could rise significantly if imports were disrupted or borders closed.
