Obstacles to farmers’ apply of modern irrigation techniques in Jasan district, Wasit Province, Iraq

Abstract

In Iraq, water resources face problems including drought, scarcity of rain, and lack of water releases from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and indiscriminate consumption of cultivated areas. The importance of implementing this research emerged to reach appropriate and effective solutions that limit the shortage of water resources and ensure the efficiency of their investment and provision for future generations. The research aimed to identify the personal characteristics of the respondents, identify the obstacles to the use of modern irrigation techniques by farmers in the study area and identify the correlational and regression relationship between the factors studied in the study. The results showed that the majority of the respondents were men (92%), while the variable of age of the respondents was the highest in the middle aged (53%). The percentage of those working in agriculture as a main job was (58%), and most of the respondents had a high level of experience (75%). It became clear that the annual income of the respondents from non-agriculture was the highest among the middle-income group of respondents (39%). The results showed that there is a positive, significant correlation at (0.05) between the dependent variable, water scarcity obstacles, and each of the following independent variables: level of education, total number of family members, and annual non-agricultural income. It needs to attract international agricultural companies specialized in modern irrigation techniques to the study area, which supports farmers and encourages them to reach advanced stages in water management.