Challenges facing food security and agricultural development from an agricultural extension perspective

Introduction

The problem of food security is considered one of the intractable economic problems facing countries of the world at the present time, and achieving food security is considered one of the basic goals that all peoples of the world seek to reach in general and Iraq in particular (Rumaissa and Kholoud, 2022:1). Food security in the Arab world is also considered one of the main challenges, as despite the availability of natural resources of land, water, and human resources, Arab agriculture has not achieved the targeted increase in production to meet the demand for food (Reem, 2020:53). The inability to develop this sector leads to many potential risks, especially the difficulty of providing sufficient quantities of appropriate food for the population, in addition to exposing the country's food security to danger, which requires developing this sector and raising its contribution to the gross domestic product as it is one of the basic commodity sectors (Al-Hiyali, 2019:1). Agricultural development is the basic pillar and the first starting point for the process of comprehensive economic development with a solid base in both developed and developing countries alike; therefore, it is the first starting point toward achieving an increasing growth in national economy rates, in addition to its important position when initiating any plan aimed at developing economic activity in any region of the world, as agricultural development aims to improve the management of natural and human resources in a manner that aims to develop the agricultural sector (Al-Saadi, 2020:1) [4] . A group of factors and determinants control the quantities of agricultural production and the size of the food gap in Arab countries, represented by the small cultivated area, scarcity of water resources, low irrigation efficiency, and small area of irrigated lands. The agricultural sector also suffers from a "technological gap" represented by the failure of agricultural research outputs to meet the requirements of agricultural development, the increased demand for water in light of the growing needs for expansion in irrigated agriculture to achieve food security, rapid population www.extensionjournal.com growth, and stimulating agricultural exports (Ibrahim, 2000-2014:68). The agricultural sector also plays a basic role in securing the issue of food security for the entire population; therefore, there should be a clear strategy for agricultural development (Bakhit et al., 2023:7) [6] . In Iraq, the agricultural sector suffers from major problems and challenges, and the continuation of the situation as it is indicating the most important gaps facing agricultural policy in Iraq, which suffers from a food problem and ultimately negatively affects the consumer food basket. The most important challenges were represented by the inadequacy of local plant and animal production (Mohammed, 2016:205) [7] . In light of all these challenges facing food security and agricultural development, agricultural extension is considered a pivotal tool in supporting food security and agricultural development policies (Al-Najjar, 2025:2) [8] . Achieving food security is considered one of the main goals of achieving agricultural development, as it is one of the important issues facing countries of the world in general and developing countries in particular, including Iraq (Abdel Aal and Reesha, 2018:1) [23] . Agricultural extension constitutes the foundation and key to achieving agricultural and economic development, as agricultural extension helps correct wrong practices by farmers and protect public interest by providing information related to new technologies and better allocation of resources (Uddin, 2008:262) [27] . Therefore, agricultural extension is one of the organizations working in the field of agricultural development; rather, agricultural development is the goal of agricultural extension. The role played by agricultural extension in rural development can be summarized in the following aspects: helping to raise agricultural production efficiency, assisting in family income, contributing to rationalizing consumption patterns, contributing to guiding economic planning, assisting in training on agro-processing, contributing to confronting the population problem, contributing to preparing a society to create a strong push in economic growth, working to change farmers' attitudes and making them more receptive to scientific methods, contributing to human resource development, and contributing to the success of agricultural development (Al-Baali, 2019:374) [9] . Bridging the gap between scientific research and agricultural practice by ensuring farmers' access to changes in knowledge and innovations that enhance their agricultural performance (Bishnoi & others, 2024:68). Therefore, the importance of this article comes from identifying the challenges facing food security and agricultural development from an extension perspective in Iraq, due to their great importance.

Objectives of the Article

1. Identifying the challenges facing food security and agricultural development from an extension perspective.

Identifying the role of agricultural extension in

confronting challenges and improving food security and agricultural development.

Concept of Food Security

The concept of food security has received great attention since the Food and Agriculture Conference held in 1943, and since that time food security has been defined as obtaining a sufficient and stable amount of food for each person (Abu Douh, 2024:2) [10] . The World Food Summit 1996 defined it as a condition in which all households are able to obtain, physically and economically, sufficient food for all their members, and there is nothing that threatens these households with losing their ability to obtain this food (Al-Shammari, 2022:68) [11] . Nimer and Shehata defined it as the natural and economic ability to obtain basic food needs, including food stability and individuals' ability to obtain it over time, and ensuring the availability of food materials permanently and continuously from local production for all members of society regardless of their living standards (Nimer and Shehata, 2022:76) [12] . Some link the concept of agricultural development with food security, as they see that food security represents the national political aspect of agricultural development and its goals, and it contributes to reducing the gap between demand for food products and production inputs and what is actually produced, in order to reduce dependence on the outside world in providing food needs, especially basic ones (Ibtisam, 2014:101).

Main Dimensions of Food Security

1. Increasing agricultural and food productivity in an efficient and sustainable way to provide food (supply side of food security), determined by the level of food production, stock levels, and trade (Yassin, 2015:2). 2. Access to food based on physical and economic access.

Economic access is determined by available income, food prices, and availability of social support, while physical access is determined by infrastructure and its quality, including ports, roads, railways, communications, and food storage facilities (Ben Yezza, 2018:18) [14] . 3. Proper utilization: adequate diet, clean water, sanitation facilities, and health care, which are necessary elements to achieve nutritional well-being of the population. 4. Stability: the necessity for individuals to have sufficient quantities of food at all levels and at all times (Qalloush, 2024:246) [13] .

Challenges of Food Security and

Water Security:

Water represents one of the most important basic components in providing food for countries, and it is primarily a political and security issue, as most countries seek to control water sources along with arable land in order to produce necessary food and meet basic needs of populations. There is a close and clear link between food security and water security, which are considered among national security priorities for countries regardless of their status or location, and they cannot be completely separated. When talking about food security, there is reference to a complete environmental system that needs study and analysis to determine best methods for managing what is available (Tawati, 2019:22). Currently, water storage volume is declining, which negatively affects performance of the agricultural sector. Decrease in plant and animal production is due to: 1. Drought and unfavorable climatic conditions. 2. Scarcity of water inflows in the Tigris and Euphrates and their tributaries. 3. Problems in management and operation of some dams.

Weak or absent water extension.

Water security is a basic element in achieving agricultural development, as scarcity of water resources and decline in storage negatively affect plant and animal production efficiency. Weak water management and absence of water extension contribute to increased water waste and reduced cultivated areas, which limits the agricultural sector's ability to meet food needs of the population, thus forming an obstacle to achieving agricultural development (Mohammed and Bahloul, 2025:17) [20] .

Desertification Problem (Al-Wandawi, 2010:154-155)

The Arab world in general and Iraq in particular have witnessed an increase in desertification due to overexploitation of natural resources, especially water resources, agricultural lands, forests, and rangelands, which have suffered for long periods from excessive misuse, in addition to ecosystem fragility, dominance of dry climate, and scarcity of agricultural water, which led to forest and rangeland degradation, reduced biodiversity, spread of soil erosion and degradation, and expansion of desertification to a level that warns of real danger. Reasons contributing to desertification in addition to natural climatic factors include: Agricultural development and thus food security cannot be achieved without activating the following roles of agricultural extension, derived from extension philosophy as an educational process in the first place, from which all expected roles emerge:

First -Dissemination and adoption of agricultural innovations and technologies: Dissemination of innovations among farmers and their adoption leads to optimal economic use of agricultural resources and raising production and productivity, thus modernizing agriculture. Agricultural extension plays the main role here due to its link with farmers' behavior.

Second -Activating the reciprocal relationship between agricultural extension and agricultural research:

Agricultural research is the outcome of scientific research and the solid foundation of agricultural renaissance in any country, while extension is responsible for transferring research results to those who need to apply them, namely farmers.

Third -Supporting participation in building extension programs:

There is increasing demand for involving farmers and opinion leaders in building extension programs in all stages, designing programs that fit real farmers' needs, and involving private sector and researchers, which benefits agricultural production and development.

Fourth -Promoting agro-processing and small agricultural projects: Agricultural sector in developing countries is among the most important economic sectors in absorbing labor, requiring continued provision of job opportunities. FAO report 2007 states that changes in food crop production strongly affect economic growth, poverty, and food security. Therefore, youth should be encouraged to implement productive projects through guidance and extension to exploit rural resources to increase production and meet growing needs.

Fifth -Reducing losses and rationalizing consumption:

Many developing countries suffer losses up to 30% in crops and 20% in fruit production due to wrong practices and weak farmer capabilities. Agricultural extension can reduce losses through programs targeting behavioral change or introducing agro-processing and modern agricultural technology.

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