Attachments
ABOUT THIS REPORT
Aim
In early 2023, ACAPS conducted a secondary data review and analysis to unpack the drivers and impact of drought in Iraq, with a focus on the humanitarian needs resulting from its effects on the country’s economy and people’s livelihoods. The output of the research is a series of reports comprising:
1. an overview that provides an executive summary of the key findings of each of the three reports composing this series, as well as key messages
2. a report on the drivers and aggravating factors of recurring droughts in Iraq
3. a report detailing the impact on food security and livelihoods of droughts, especially the drought of 2021-2022
4. a report providing a situation outlook and review of economic projections to look at the future evolution and impact of the current drought.
This is the second part of the series, and it discusses the impact on Iraq’s agriculture, economy, food security and people’s livelihoods of the drought of 2021- 2022.
The report was commissioned and supported by WFP Iraq. The aim of this series if to support WFP Iraq’s work in promoting an improved understanding of the climatic and economic costs of inaction to recurrent droughts in Iraq.
Methodology
The reports of this thematic series are based on the secondary data review of publicly available sources on Iraq’s drought situation. The report builds on qualitative and quantitative data in a mixed-method approach. Five key informants with local thematic expertise in agriculture, humanitarian operations, and advocacy provided a more comprehensive understanding of the situation.
Limitations
• There is limited geographic and historical coverage of the consequences of successive droughts in the country, making it difficult for ACAPS to analyse the evolving impact of droughts in Iraq.
• Updated socioeconomic indicators for Iraq, including Iraqi Kurdistan, although existing, are not always publicly available. For the socioeconomic sections of this report, ACAPS relied on less up-to-date available information.
• Iraq faces the effects of multiple, consecutive, and intertwined crises, making it hard to isolate drought impacts from other crises. This report only explores some of the most significant and direct effects of Iraq’s different types of droughts on humanitarian needs and living conditions. It was sometimes challenging to differentiate the needs resulting from the current droughts from those resulting from other hazards or humanitarian crisis drivers, including conflict.