PRT WASIT HOSTS MAJOR AGRICULTURAL CONFERENCE

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 001763

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: PRT WASIT HOSTS MAJOR AGRICULTURAL CONFERENCE

This is a PRT Wasit reporting cable.

This message is Sensitive But Unclassified; handle
accordingly. Not for distribution on the internet.


1. (SBU) Summary: PRT Wasit on June 20-21 hosted a major
agricultural conference in al-Kut. The conference brought
together Council of Representatives (CoR) members, ministry
officials, provincial officials, subject matter experts and
local farmers to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of
Wasit,s flagging agricultural economy and develop an action
plan to help move the Province forward. A plenary session on
the conference,s second day identified potential solutions
to problem areas such as water usage and availability, energy
shortfalls and bureaucratic mismanagement. A Steering
Committee was formed, chaired by an influential member of the
COR, with a mandate to develop emergency measures to tackle
the most pressing problems as well as a plan to address
medium- and long-term goals. The committee will convene for
the first time in early July. Finally, the PRT,s use of
facilitated groups, and training of PRT personnel to act as
small group facilitators, was successful and might be
profitably employed elsewhere in Iraq. End Summary.


2. (SBU) Wasit Province, once commonly referred to as the
&breadbasket of Iraq,8 has experienced a sharp decline in
agricultural productivity in recent years. Since 2000,
productivity has declined approximately 45-50%, fueling a
self-reinforcing cycle of unemployment, abandoned farmland,
poverty and economic insecurity. Poor economic prospects
also increase the young population,s susceptibility to
extremist rhetoric and have contributed to occasional
hostility toward both the Iraqi Security Forces and the
Coalition Forces. Reasons for this downturn include
declining water resources, poor overall resource management,
crumbling physical and human infrastructure, regulatory
problems and lack of access to credit. A common thread
linking these challenges has been a lack of coordination and
communication among the various stakeholders and
decision-makers in Wasit,s agricultural economy. Having
identified this problem through active outreach among
Wasit,s farmers and managers, the PRT hosted a major
regional conference June 20-21 designed to bring
together*for the first time*the Province,s various
agricultural leaders with a view toward drafting an Action
Plan to stabilize and improve its economy.

A Milestone Meeting
--------------


3. (SBU) The process actually began with a series of three
workshops in May and June where U.S. and Iraqi subject matter
experts met with representatives from various agricultural
sectors, including elected officials, sheiks, ministry
officials, financial services representatives and farmers.
The workshops not only provided information and training to
participants, but also helped form a coherent operational
picture of the current agricultural economy and identified
themes to be addressed at the larger conference. Workshop
attendance was high, ranging from 35-40 for each session.
The workshops also generated positive buzz about the upcoming
conference in the agricultural community.


4. (SBU) The two-day conference brought approximately 80
participants together at a hotel in the Provincial capital of
al-Kut-- an accomplishment in and of itself that for
security reasons would have been impossible just one year
ago. Prominent participants included the Governor, the Chair
of the Provincial Council, the Sadrist Deputy Governor,
Wasit,s largest farmer, and two members of the Council of
Representatives: Sheik Jamal Batik and Majid Kharalla.
Participants were divided into several small groups headed by
QParticipants were divided into several small groups headed by
PRT facilitators, and the groups were designed to avoid
senior participants from dominating discussions. Over the
course of several sessions, participants discussed the
strengths and weaknesses of agriculture in Wasit, identified
the &advances8 needed for improvement in various sectors,
charted obstacles and challenges to these advances, and
finally, during a wrap-up plenary session, created an Action
Plan and tasked specific individuals and groups for follow-up
activity.

Strengths, Weaknesses, and a New Steering Committee
-------------- --------------


5. (SBU) Discussions identified broad areas of agreement
about Wasit,s strengths as an agricultural province. A
major river system, fertile soil, long growing season,
available workforce, and historic/cultural ties and affinity
to agricultural production were among the top characteristics
in Wasit,s favor. The challenges to tapping into these
resources and turning agriculture around were daunting,
however. Above all, irrigation and water resource management
was cited as the single greatest problem confronting the
Province. Other issues included energy, transfer of
technology, credit availability, and animal wealth/husbandry
concerns. There was no shortage of ideas about how to
address these issues. From green energy technologies like
investment in solar and wind energy (in ready supply on the
sunny, windswept plains); to alternative irrigation practices
like drip irrigation and better enforcement of water-usage
regulations; to better training and education for key
provincial and local civil servants involved in planning and
management, participants agreed on many possible solutions to
some of the most pressing issues. What was conspicuously
absent was the lack of any organizational structures, public
or private, to help initiate such projects and coordinate on
a larger scale.


6. (SBU) The plenary group formulated an Action Plan that
had as its centerpiece the creation of a Steering Committee
(or &crisis cell8) with members drawn from all sectors of
Wasit,s agricultural economy. Designed to mirror local
structures convened to take quick action during public health
emergencies, the committee will be headed by Sheik Batik (COR
representative),and include relevant DGs, agricultural
experts, the chairman of the Provincial Council,s
Agricultural Committee, and farmers. This all-Iraqi
committee planned to meet for the first time in early July to
draft a list of short-term measures and medium and long-term
goals, including coordinated lobbying/advocacy efforts in
Baghdad, communication with other Provinces and planning for
a Wasit-sponsored regional conference to promote cooperation
on water management issues (in particular),and
public-private partnerships to work together in other areas.
Having hosted the initial meeting and brought the major
players together, the PRT will continue to play a
consultative role with the committee, but initiatives and
actions lie solely with the Iraqis themselves.

Best Practice: Facilitated Discussions
--------------


7. (SBU) One of the conference,s successes was the PRT,s
use of trained facilitators to encourage group discussions.
PRT BBAs and linguists underwent hours of training to learn
techniques designed to draw out participants and help collect
and organize feedback. Each facilitator worked with a single
group and moved discussions along while still affording
ownership of the discussion, and the ideas that were
generated, to the Iraqi participants. Although the PRT was
unsure how participants would take to the very &American8
techniques, without exception the groups were energetic,
lively, and had a high-level of participation from all
involved. For more information on the nature of the
facilitation, contact Senior Agricultural Advisor Patrick
Moore at Patrick.Moore@iraq.centcom.mil


8. (SBU) Comment: Initial feedback from the conference is
that a critical mass of concerned stakeholders can be
catalyzed ) with the right forum and concepts ) to
collaborate and take steps necessary to sustain their good
ideas. We are cautiously optimistic that the Iraqi
participants appreciated that the PRT,s role was only
indirectly supportive and, after a few pointed remarks,
accepted that the PRT was not in a position to offer
solutions. We will follow up closely to provide logistical
and advisory support to the efforts of the &Crisis Cell.8
HILL