The reverberating effects of explosive violence on agriculture in Iraq

SUMMARY: Iraq lies in the Fertile Crescent that stretches in an arc from Mesopotamia in the East to Egypt in the West, and is known by many as being ‘the cradle of civilisation’. Here, several millennia ago, humans took their first steps in seed cultivation and the first farming techniques were developed, making Iraq the birthplace of agriculture. Nourished by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, this land was able to produce a bountiful harvest of grains, pulses, dates and vegetables.