The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is working with the State Board for Agricultural Lands in Iraq to create and implement an updated and secure digital system of land registration. Such a system is critical to the success of an emerging private agriculture sector in Iraq, ensuring that land ownership and use is clearly defined for continued sustainability and growth in agricultural production. Although a legal framework for the distribution of state-owned agricultural land to farmers has been established, the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) lacks the management tools to ensure an efficient process. Additionally, many State Board records were damaged in 2003.
USAID’s Agriculture Reconstruction and Development for Iraq (ARDI) program has given the State Board the equipment necessary to create a new land and property registration system, including computer work stations, digital mapping equipment, satellite imagery, and software. ARDI is also working with the State Board to prepare a plan for a national strategy for information gathering and processing.
