As climate change tightens its grip on Iraq, amber rice is the latest casualty. Farmers are grappling not only with a loss of income, but a way of life.
AL-MASHKHAB, Iraq — When Abbas Al-Zalemi walks through his fields, he remembers better times. Amber rice once flourished on the eight acres he inherited from his father, painting them a lush green. The fields are dry and“Without amber cultivation, I feel a sense of loss,” said Al-Zalemi, 50. “I avoid coming here to escape the sadness.”
Experts say government policies have left the sector particularly vulnerable to water shortages. While ministries have offered subsidized equipment to support the costly transition to less water-intensive irrigation methods, politically connected agricultural conglomerates have often. Below the fields, decades-old drainage infrastructure has been left to decay.
“We used to have very good economic self-sufficiency, we did not care about political changes or the rise in the exchange rate of the dollar,” he said. “Amber was our currency, but now I cannot even meet the daily expenses of my house.His eldest son had planned to inherit the farm. He scrapes out a living in construction now and has put his marriage plans on hold.
Until recently, amber rice was a fixture at every table here and was exported throughout the region. Now, locals have had to turn to more expensive imported varieties from India and Iran.“Rice prices have skyrocketed, reaching five times the usual rate,” said Hussein Aqil, 41, as he shopped at a local market. More distressing to him than the cost, though, was the loss of the region’s most distinctive food. “Our meals lack the same flavor and appeal,” he lamented.
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