Some 225,000 hectares (556,000 acres) of farmland near Mosul, Iraq’s third-largest city, will regain irrigation water for the first time in two years under a project run by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The project includes clearing obstructions from the main irrigation canal, repairing a pumping station and clearing mines from fields.
“The project is already benefiting more than 3,000 people and is essential in getting farming activities in the area back underway,” said FAO.
Located 30 km (19 miles) west of Mosul, the project will bring water to fertile land that grew vegetables and crops, such as wheat and barley, that were sold in Iraq and exported to Syria and other countries. Much of the labor is provided through a cash-for-work initiative to help vulnerable families pay for food, clothes, heating and transport.