Iraqi-Kurdistan covers approximately 80,000 square kilometres. It is a very mountainous and forested region in the far north of Iraq. In the south the Erbil plain is the most productive agricultural region of Iraq, well watered and productive of bountiful harvests. Erbil, the regional capital, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, whilst to the southeast of Erbil, Suleimani, another thriving administrative centre and university town, is also a vitally important hub for trade and commerce.

Kirkuk's importance grew with the discovery of oil. Mosul is the main northern town and boasts of the 13th century Palace Qara Sariai and the Mosque of Nabi Jirjis. Mosul gives its name to the muslin cloth first manufactured there and is also famous for its market in fine worked gold. Nineveh (the city of the fabled quinquireme) is an ancient and archaeologically rich site near Mosul.

There are approximately five million Kurds in Iraqi Kurdistan, with another one million living in Baghdad. One of the most notable features of the Kurdish region is the tremendous diversity of a population which includes Arabs, Turkomans, Syriac Christians and other peoples. This diversity is one of the great strengths of the region, adding vitality and a notable air of easy-going tolerance and business-like free movement throughout the region.

Iraqi Kurdistan is bigger, in terms of area than states such as Ireland and its Mediterranean climate is characterised by hot, dry summers and cold, wet winters with snow and frost. 

SOME FACTS:

• With a population of nearly 5 million, it covers approximately 80,000 square kilometres (18% of the area of Iraq)
• The region has three universities and more than 2,700 functioning schools
• Erbil with a population of over 1 million and Suleimani rank in the top 10 largest cities in Iraq
• It is a logistical hub for traffic from Turkey, Iran and Syria, boasting 4 border crossings and two major road arteries
• It has an economic growth rate in excess of 6%
• It has the 6th largest oil reserves in the world (estimated 45 billion barrels)
• The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is a progressive, conscientious, working democracy
• Not a single soldier from the allied forces has died in the Kurdistan Region throughout and since the 2003 Iraqi War

Agriculture

Iraqi-Kurdistan produces 50 % of the wheat produced in Iraq, 40 % of the barley, 98 % of the tobacco, 30 % of the cotton and 50 % of the fruit with a large capacity to increase output in all areas

The northern governorates are expected to produce between 30 and 35 percent of this year's total estimated crop of 1.7 million tonnes of grain.

Iraqi-Kurdistan is blessed with abundant precipitation, making it one of the few watersheds of the Middle East. Rich, arable land supports food production for the region's population and provides income from export sales in the south. Large and fertile mountain valleys provide ample space for agriculture. Despite its mountainous nature, Kurdistan has more arable land proportionately (28% of its total surface area) than the majority of Middle Eastern countries. On the Sharazoor plains in the east of Iraqi-Kurdistan archaeologists found evidence of the first human settlement in history with evidence of wheat cultivation.

The mean annual precipitation in the region is 60-80 inches per year in the central regions and 20-40 inches on the descent to the lower elevations. Most precipitation is in form of snow, which can fall for six months of the year. In an otherwise water-starved region, Iraqi-Kurdistan is blessed with abundant precipitation, making it one of the few watersheds of the Middle East. Rivers like the Tigris, Euphrates, Khabur, Tharthar, Ceyhan, Araxes, Kura, Safidrud, Karkha, and their major tributaries spring from the mountains of Kurdistan.

Iraqi-Kurdistan possesses massive agricultural potential with abundant arable land, a convenient climate, water resources and man power. Iraqi-Kurdistan produces about 50% of the wheat produced in Iraq, 40% of the barley, 98% of the tobacco, 30% of the cotton and 50% of the fruit. However, Kurdistan lacks modern systems of production, storage, refrigeration and distribution.

The KRG has devoted a significant percentage of its budget to agriculture in order to encourage, maintain and develop this essential sector. In 1999 around 140 million Dinars was spent buying surplus grain from local farmers. Kurdistan 's organically produced food makes the region one of the most important world spots devoted to food production free of chemicals.

In Iraq's three northern governorates (Erbil, Dohuk, Suleimani) most farmers were not displaced from their fields during the conflict, which means they are well placed to begin harvesting their grain crops in a few weeks.

The northern governorates are expected to produce between 30 and 35 percent of this year's total estimated crop of 1.7 million tonnes of grain.

If the harvest in the north proceeds on schedule, it will help alleviate food shortages by producing more than 500 000 tonnes of wheat and barley, enough to fill at least 20 000 truckloads that would otherwise have to be imported.

The situation is less clear in the 18 governorates in the centre and south, especially in the grain growing regions south of Baghdad between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, where another third of the cereal crop is cultivated. Unlike the rain-fed northern crop, the southern crop depends entirely on irrigation, which is in turn heavily reliant on electricity and fuel supply to run the pumping networks. There are similar difficulties with the spring crop of vegetables in the south, also entirely dependent on irrigation.

Internal trade of food and vegetables has often been disrupted, which sometimes has led to significant price increases.

In the northern governorates, chicken prices shot up by 20 percent, motivated in part by the fact that poultry producers in the north stopped hatching and raising new chicks during the fighting because they could not ship products to traditional markets in Baghdad and other parts of the south.

Fuel prices, too, have soared heightening the burden on Iraq's heavily mechanized farming structure. With the ceasing of hostilities, diesel prices have returned to normal, gasoline prices are between 50 and 75 percent higher than pre-war levels.

FAO has recently launched an appeal for $86 million covering agricultural assistance to secure crop and livestock production and improve agricultural productivity in Iraq. To date, several donors have shown interest in the appeal, with $2.5 million pledged by the UK.

Sources: FAO, UN

Overview of key industry sectors in Iraq - Agriculture (June 2004)

Iraq has abundant resources of land and water, which makes agriculture one of the largest sectors of the country's economy. It constitutes 29 percent of GDP and 20 percent of employment. However, over the last 20 years the sector has collapsed. On average, agricultural production levels have been declining by 2.6 percent per year since 1990. More than 50 percent of the population is affected by food insecurity. The Oil-For-Food Program, while essential to the humanitarian situation in Iraq, was a severe disincentive to food production.

Over half of Iraq's total food requirement is imported, and a large portion of the population is dependent upon government-financed food rations for survival. The water supply is currently depleted due to inefficient use and sewage contamination. The sector holds tremendous potential for the future however. Twenty seven percent of Iraq's total land area is suitable for cultivation, over half of which is rain-fed while the balance is irrigable.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that only half of this irrigable land is currently under cultivation, leaving room for tremendous growth. This lack of resource utilization is attributed to a lack of farm machinery, equipment, water shortages, low technology uptake, and a lack of profit incentive. The cost of the annual food rations provided to Iraqis is estimated at over $2billion per year. Wheat, barley, and chickpeas are the primary staple crops. Iraq was once self-sufficient in agriculture and was also the world's number one exporter of dates.

The World Bank has estimated the sector recovery cost for 2004 to be $3.6 billion. Capital expenditures in 2004 by the Iraqi budget are listed at $2.4 billion, leaving $1.2 billion in external funding needed. The monetization of the UN Oil-For-Food program and the establishment of a profitable market for agricultural products are intended to provide proper growth incentives for Iraqi farmers. Currently, the food basket is distributed through the Public Distribution System under the Ministry of Trade. Retail food stores are now operational and farmers are able to choose their own production. The World Food Program also continues to supply wheat and other goods to Iraq.

Research and training activities are needed to initiate market liberalization, competitive production, and phasing out of state subsidies. The Ministry of Agriculture is beginning to actively work with its stakeholders to improve the operating environment. For example, it recently held its first technical workshop through its Crop Technology and Management Demonstration Program in Mosul. Twenty scientists and farmers attended the session, which aims to revitalize production and increase farmer's access to vital inputs. USAID and its contractors are also demonstrating winter crops throughout the country in order to expand the growing season. The Ministry is renovating veterinary hospitals and clinics through grants. The Baghdad University School of Agriculture recently received a $75,000 grant to benefit its 4,509 students. A $5 million USAID contract for agricultural reconstruction and development, announced on 21^st October 2003, was awarded to Development Alternatives, Inc.

The one-year program is referred to as the "Agriculture Reconstruction and Development Program for Iraq" (ARDI). The primary goals are to support Iraqi initiatives to revitalize production, stimulate income and employment through agro enterprise and market development, develop rural financial services (and rural micro finance organizations), and rehabilitate natural resources.

The first phase of ARDI focuses on the distribution of seed and fertilizer, equipment and other quick impact activities. The project will concentrate on Iraq's main agricultural sectors: cereals, horticulture, livestock, dairy, and poultry. The program also focuses on water resources development and soil reclamation, with an emphasis on restoration of the Iraqi marshlands in the south. The second phase will last eight months and focus on longer-term rehabilitation and sustainability.

Source: Iraq Investment & Reconstruction Task Force U.S. Department of Commerce

STATISTICS ON ERBIL GOVERNORATE & CITY

The area of Erbil Governorate is approximately (16,484 km). The population of Erbil Governorate is estimated at 1,147,750. With a population of 900,000, the City of Erbil is the largest in Iraqi-Kurdistan and ranks in the top 10 largest cities in Iraq.

The city of Erbil, the seat of the Kurdish Parliament, is located (80) km to the east of the city of Mosul, (90) km to the south of Kirkuk (196) km of Suleiman and (156) km of Duhok. It lies on latitude circles from the north and (2nd, 42nd) parallels from the east.

Erbil City is located equidistant between the two rivers known as the Greater Zab and the Lesser Zab and is surrounded by fertile agricultural lands of the Erbil Plain. This ancient Sumerian and Assyrian city, formerly known as Arbela, is probably the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world and the fastest growing and forth largest city in Iraq today.  

STATISTICS ON SULEIMANI GOVERNORATE & CITY 

Total Population of Governorate: 1,213,258

Total Male Population 594,633

Total Female Population 618,625  

Suleimani is a mountainous district covering four sub-districts: Bazyan, Qaradagh, Tanjaro and Sarchinar and 325 villages. The Tanjaro, Sarchnar and Qlyasan rivers cross the district. The main towns are Suleimani the Governorate capital, Bazyan, Arabt and Qaradagh.

The city of Suleimani (estimated population of 685,000) is located in the north-east of Iraqi-Kurdistan, 355 km from Baghdad. The mountain ranges of Goyzha and Azmar lay to the north-east and the Gilla Zerda range to the south-west and form the areas natural boundaries.

The roads are good but access to villages is difficult. Winters are cold and snowy, while summers, springs and autumns are mild. Strong winds are frequent. In general, the economic situation is good but villages are poor. Major activities are agriculture, animal husbandry and trade. Thanks to peace and humanitarian programmes many families have started to return to their villages since moving to the cities during the Anfal campaign.

The main sources of income for the Governorate are commerce, agriculture, animal husbandry and industry.

A brief history of Suleimani
Suleimani was founded in 1784 following Emir Ibrahim Pasha Baban's decision to transfer the capital of the Baban Emirate from Qala Chwalan to a valley 30 km to the southwest. The new city was named after Sulaiman Pasha who ruled Baghdad at that time as a representative of the Ottoman Empire.

Suleimani remained the capital of the Baban Emirate until 1851 when the Emirate was annexed to Mosul and the first Governor, Ismail Pasha a commanding officer in the Ottoman Empire's armed forces, was sent to Suleimani to rule the city.

At the beginning of the 19th century Suleimani became the cultural and scientific centre for Kurdistan's intellectuals. It was also a centre for preserving and developing the Kurdish language.

It should be noted that in most of the districts the villages and settlements were razed to the ground in the aftermath of   the Ba'ath annihilation policy which reached its peak in 1988. According to the 1977 census the number of villages in the Governorate was 1877, whereas ten years later in 1987 that number was reduced to 192.
(Source: Suleimani University)

Source: Governorate of Suleimani, June 2004.