Iraq GO Team Event: Cash for Canals

FOB Kalsu, Iraq
March 2, 2007

Helping Iraqi farmers increase yields in Babil Province

(FOB Kalsu, Iraq) The Fertile Crescent has always been the agricultural heart of Iraq. The rich farmlands created by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers have long fed Iraq and the surrounding lands. Intricate canal networks carry river water deep into the desert which allows more land to grow wheat, barley and other crops. However over the past two decades, the small canals of farmers have received less and less water because the larger government canals were not cleaned and grew clogged with plants and debris.

Civil Affairs teams have been working to create solutions to help Iraqi farmers. Major John Kofonow of Tuscon, Arizona and other civil affairs teams across the country have been implementing a program called "Cash for Canals" as a way to employ Iraqis and help farmers. Shallow smaller canals are cleared though manual labor while deeper larger canals are cleared with backhoes rented from local companies. Major Kofonow explains "The canals get overrun with weeds and other things. We pay the Iraqis to clean out the canal which is a year long project the way things grow. It's a way to provide income for the farmers in addition to improving the water flow to the fields." 

As canals are cleared and water begins to flow normally, more water is available for crops. Just as importantly, clogged canals no longer overwhelm their levees and send cascades of water into the surrounding countryside, which floods fields and the small homes of farmers.

"We can see how we've improved the water quality in a village -- know about the bad things happening in Baghdad but let me tell you about the good things happening in our area." said Major Kofonow.