Fostering Resilience in Iraq through Sustainable Water Management and Climate Smart Agriculture

The Fostering Resilience through Sustainable Water Management and Climate-Smart Agriculture project aims to improve the Government of Iraq’s ability to develop and apply evidence-based planning to better manage and sustain Iraq’s water resources. Specifically it seeks to promote a more efficient and equitable distribution of limited water resources by using and applying accurate hydrological models strengthening inclusive community-led decision-making related to water management. It also seeks to promote climate-smart agriculture practices to enhance the resilience in Iraq’s increasingly water-scarce and saline agricultural context. The project includes innovative components such as nature-based solutions for mitigating salinity problems restoring aquatic ecosystems and piloting hydroponic technologies in Iraq.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) strengthened multisectoral and transparent water governance at the national level aligning water use efficiency with socio-economic goals human rights considerations and environmental sustainability; (2) strengthened gender-responsive and participatory locally-led water management practices within all sub-basins of Iraq; and (3) enhanced adoption of gender-responsive climate-smart agriculture solutions at three pilot sites.