Iraq - Land under cereal production (hectares)

The value for Land under cereal production (hectares) in Iraq was 1,666,816 as of 2018. As the graph below shows, over the past 57 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 4,588,136 in 1993 and a minimum value of 1,082,953 in 1984.

Definition: Land under cereal production refers to harvested area, although some countries report only sown or cultivated area. Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains. Production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded.

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.

See also:

Year Value
1961 2,039,339
1962 2,451,402
1963 1,817,699
1964 2,179,046
1965 2,480,608
1966 2,382,202
1967 2,472,043
1968 2,424,096
1969 2,164,583
1970 2,086,907
1971 1,473,575
1972 2,703,420
1973 1,702,530
1974 2,195,900
1975 2,020,209
1976 2,165,110
1977 1,501,322
1978 2,304,070
1979 1,928,900
1980 2,290,625
1981 2,256,525
1982 2,355,875
1983 2,478,675
1984 1,082,953
1985 2,976,717
1986 2,777,350
1987 1,937,925
1988 2,462,050
1989 1,625,275
1990 3,256,300
1991 3,342,575
1992 3,919,501
1993 4,588,136
1994 3,571,340
1995 3,170,300
1996 3,339,580
1997 2,769,600
1998 2,811,650
1999 2,719,504
2000 2,490,350
2001 2,625,720
2002 3,157,390
2003 2,910,900
2004 2,783,550
2005 3,911,030
2006 2,848,000
2007 2,966,750
2008 1,585,596
2009 1,493,415
2010 2,570,483
2011 2,374,286
2012 2,066,057
2013 2,934,105
2014 3,441,479
2015 1,288,740
2016 1,304,163
2017 1,357,793
2018 1,666,816

Development Relevance: The cultivation of cereals varies widely in different countries and depends partly upon the development of the economy. Production depends on the nature of the soil, the amount of rainfall, irrigation, quality od seeds, and the techniques applied to promote growth. In developed countries, cereal crops are universally machine-harvested, typically using a combine harvester, which cuts, threshes, and winnows the grain during a single pass across the field. In many industrialized countries, particularly in the United States and Canada, farmers commonly deliver their newly harvested grain to a grain elevator or a storage facility that consolidates the crops of many farmers. In developing countries, a variety of harvesting methods are used in cereal cultivation, depending on the cost of labor, from small combines to hand tools such as the scythe or cradle. Crop production systems have evolved rapidly over the past century and have resulted in significantly increased crop yields, but have also created undesirable environmental side-effects such as soil degradation and erosion, pollution from chemical fertilizers and agrochemicals and a loss of bio-diversity. Factors such as the green revolution, has led to impressive progress in increasing cereals yields over the last few decades. This progress, however, is not equal across all regions. Continued progress depends on maintaining agricultural research and education. The cultivation of cereals varies widely in different countries and depends partly upon the development of the economy. Production depends on the nature of the soil, the amount of rainfall, irrigation, quality of seeds, and the techniques applied to promote growth. Agriculture is still a major sector in many economies, and agricultural activities provide developing countries with food and revenue. But agricultural activities also can degrade natural resources. Poor farming practices can cause soil erosion and loss of soil fertility. Efforts to increase productivity by using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and intensive irrigation have environmental costs and health impacts. Salinization of irrigated land diminishes soil fertility. Thus, inappropriate use of inputs for agricultural production has far-reaching effects. There is no single correct mix of inputs to the agricultural land, as it is dependent on local climate, land quality, and economic development; appropriate levels and application rates vary by country and over time and depend on the type of crops, the climate and soils, and the production process used.

Limitations and Exceptions: The data are collected by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) through annual questionnaires. They are supplemented with information from official secondary data sources. The secondary sources cover official country data from websites of national ministries, national publications and related country data reported by various international organizations. The FAO tries to impose standard definitions and reporting methods, but complete consistency across countries and over time is not possible. Thus, data on agricultural land in different climates may not be comparable. For example, permanent pastures are quite different in nature and intensity in African countries and dry Middle Eastern countries. Data on agricultural land are valuable for conducting studies on a various perspectives concerning agricultural production, food security and for deriving cropping intensity among others uses.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Cereals production includes wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains. Production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded. A cereal is a grass cultivated for the edible components of their grain, composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran. Cereal grains are grown in greater quantities and provide more food energy worldwide than any other type of crop; cereal crops therefore can also be called staple crops.

Aggregation method: Sum

Periodicity: Annual

Classification

Topic: Environment Indicators

Sub-Topic: Agricultural production