THE AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION GROUP

Agriculture on both sides of plants and animals has played a vital role in the livelihoods, culture, and history of the Nineveh Plains, a historically rich region nested within the heart of Mesopotamia in northern Iraq. This fertile plain has been the cradle of ancient civilizations and has sustained its inhabitants for a long period. The significance of agriculture in the Nineveh Plains transcends mere sustenance; it forms the foundation of the region's identity and economic prosperity. However, while agriculture remains a vital sector, it faces many of challenges that require immediate attention and extension efforts to ensure its sustainability and continued contribution to the well-being of the local population.

The extension group is part of a large project “Support to Traditional Cultural Practices in Northern Iraq” that is undertaken by the University of Duhok and supported by LASER PULSE and the USA Agency for International Development (USAID). The project is studying the challenges of the agricultural and food sector as it seeks solutions for tomorrow. This project covers field crops, vegetables, animal production, and extension systems important to the ethnic and religious minorities in the Nineveh Plains (Christian, Yazidi, Shabak, Turkmen, and Kakai). The main mission of the extension team is to determine the valuable agricultural resources for the farmers of minorities living in Ninawa Plain (Al-Hamdaniya and Telkaif and Bashiqa), identify the main challenges facing developing these resources, awareness among farmers, and propose suitable suggestions in which to help them to improve their products and skills.

The main objectives of the Agricultural Extension Team

The main objectives collectively aimed to improve the agricultural practices, livelihoods, and overall well-being of the target farming communities while promoting sustainable and responsible agriculture in Nineveh Plains through:

1. Knowledge and Skills Transfer: Facilitate the transfer of agricultural knowledge, practices, and technologies to farmers.
2. Capacity Building: Enhance farmers' and agricultural staff skills and capabilities through field visits and training programs.
3. Resource Management and Sustainability: Promote sustainable resource management practices, including soil and water conservation, to ensure long-term agricultural viability.
4. Market Access and Income Enhancement: Assist farmers in accessing markets, diversifying income sources, and improving overall income.
5. Community Development: Foster community development, and resilience, and advocate for policies that support the local agricultural sector and farmers' interests. 

The main Activities and Products of the Agricultural Extension team – since September 2022

The team proposed a comfortable plan for achieving the above objectives through the following activities:

1. Preparing a comprehensive literature review.

The group collected all agriculture extension activities implemented in these areas during the last years (Published in Mesopotamia Journal of Agriculture).

2. Community Trust building.

Conducted several visits to the targeted villages in these districts for trust building and to have an initial idea for preparing a questionnaire to collect information about all agricultural practices and constraints facing farmers to improve their skills and increase their products both in quality and quantity.

3. Regular field visits were conducted to cover villages of all minorities. 

Questionnaires and training were conducted to assess their needs and to develop the cultural agricultural restoration.

4. Extension Awareness. 

Via Education Posters, guides, and leaflets: From the information collected from communities, awareness posters, guides, and leaflets regarding plant and animal breeding have been prepared and published.

5. Policy briefs:

These policy briefs provide the policymakers with recommendations to take action regarding agricultural development in Nineveh Plains.

6. Educational and Storytelling Videos on agricultural extension. 

Educational and storytelling videos for our main products and activities are prepared to help build bridges of experience between communities.

7. Dissemination Activities of the Extension Group. 

The team participated in the following activities:

• Alqush Exhibition 10 January 2023
• PeaceCon, May 2023 Alliance for Peacebuilding
• DSA conference, 2023, Reading University, UK
• First and Second Project Conference, University of Duhok

Future Directions

1. Conducting training, and staff building capacity for the sub-agricultural offices in all target areas such as Namrood Agricultural Center, Alqush Agricultural Center, Mosul Research Center, Mosul Nursery, Mosul University, etc. as these establishments have a reasonable impact on the agricultural development for the minorities living in these areas. Our team’s initial visits to these centers showed high responses and a need to collaborate and work with the University of Duhok to enhance their staff capacity building and exchanging experience. 
2. Completing the training for 8 villages in Telkaif and Bashiqa districts.
3. Arranging at least three extensional meetings and debates among the main players on agricultural development in Nineveh Plains such as local authorities and Farmers unions in order to overcome the real challenges facing agriculture development and farmers in Nineveh Plains.
4. Helping the authority for sowing appropriate flowers and seedlings in the Nurseries that have been established in the three districts, and the best date for sowing these flowers and seedlings is between November to March.
5. Performing and producing more extensional products like extension videos, leaflets, posters, guides, etc. according to the need assessment during the team visits to the targeted areas.
6. Conducting a feedback questionnaire for the extension team activities in all three targeted districts. This will give a good idea of the impact of our project on the farmer’s response and the benefits of our team activities.