The Impact of Natural Geographic Factors on Agricultural (Plant) Production in the Shamiyah District Center

Abstract

Every geographical area possesses a set of natural and human geographic components, along with characteristics resulting from spatial variables and phenomena. These include the geographic reality of the study area and the place intended for study through interconnected spatial relationships and interactions that distinguish it from other locations.The study area is endowed with interrelated potentials and geographic characteristics, divided into natural and human characteristics, which give the region great importance in the field of agricultural production. The area is considered the “basket of Iraq” for rice (Al-‘Anbar/Al-‘Unbari rice), which is well known. This outcome is attributed to the availability of suitable natural factors that support the agricultural reality, including land surface, soil, geological formation, climate, water resources, and natural components. In addition, its geographic location—situated in the middle Euphrates region, within the alluvial plain—and its area (196.6 km²) contribute to this agricultural significance.Based on this scientific approach, grounded in studying its natural potentials, evaluating those characteristics and capabilities, and assessing their spatial suitability to agricultural production—along with the natural determinants affecting crop types—the study reaches several conclusions. The most important of these is that the study area contains natural characteristics and components that distinguish it from other areas, and that it is capable of developing agricultural production and advancing agricultural development in an optimal way, while safeguarding the rights of both present and future generations through planning and sustainability, from a forward-looking scientific perspective aimed at increasing plant production in both quantity and quality.The study concludes by analyzing the crops grown in the study area, represented by cereal crops (wheat, rice, and barley). With the availability of spatial suitability of the geographic natural factors, the results—based on the study period from (2013–2024)—show fluctuations and non-uniformity in the cultivated area, production, and productivity of cereal crops (wheat, rice, and barley). This is due to several causes, most notably the water crisis and water scarcity, reduced water allocations, and limited government support in terms of improved seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides.