::Iraqi Agrometeorological Network::

Agrometeorological Center

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Who We Are

The Iraqi Agrometeorological Network is a network of automatic weather stations belonging to the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture, installed and operated in various agricultural regions of Iraq for the purpose of measuring the different weather elements that affect agriculture, such as air temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation intensity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction, soil temperature, and soil moisture, in addition to other information such as reference evapotranspiration, thermal accumulation, and dew point temperature. The network is linked to a data reception and collection center at the network headquarters located in the Ministry of Agriculture building in the capital, Baghdad, where data is transmitted from the weather stations to the center using a satellite communication system.

Network Objectives

. Establishing and developing a sound, reliable, and sustainable agrometeorological database for use in planning, research, extension, and educational purposes related to the agricultural sector and the use of water and land resources in the country. 2. Providing real-time weather data and information and facilitating continuous access to them by beneficiaries. 3. Providing short- and medium-range weather forecasts through a system linked to the network's information. Efforts are being made to achieve the above objectives through time-bound phases and gradually, in step with the development of the network's operations

Core Goals

The network seeks to help the beneficiaries of its services (in related matters) achieve their core goals, including the following:

Increasing agricultural production and improving its quality

Reducing risks and losses

Increasing farmers' income

Contributing to improving the country's food security

Beneficiaries of the Network

1	Farmers
2	Agricultural Planners
3	Researchers
4	Agricultural Extension Officers
5	Producers
6	Agricultural Investors
7	Universities and Specialized Colleges
8	Government Agencies
9	Private Sector
10	Non-Governmental Organizations
11	International Aid Donors

Weather Station Installation Sites

The weather stations are distributed across irrigated and rain-fed agricultural areas in addition to desert regions. The stations have been installed at sites belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture as follows :

*	Extension Farms
*	Agricultural Research Stations
*	Horticulture and Palm Stations
*	Desert Oases
*	Natural Rangeland Stations

Distribution of the Agrometeorological Observing Network

The geographical distribution of the climate observing stations follows two basic criteria: the first is the requirements set by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for the distribution of specialized agrometeorological observing networks, and the second is the local conditions related to the need for weather and climate data and information for agricultural purposes .. The main considerations taken into account when distributing the network stations geographically are as follows

1	A high density of stations in areas with elevated levels and fewer stations in low-lying, flat areas .
2	Ensuring that the distribution covers all areas of climatic diversity in the country .
3	Taking into account the distribution of the country's main agricultural areas, whether irrigated or rain-fed, as well as natural rangeland areas .
4	Not placing stations inside cities or airports at all, because they do not represent the true agricultural reality .
5	Trying to increase the number of stations to cover more agricultural areas so that farmers feel the stations represent the nature of their agricultural reality .

Difficulties and Challenges

Despite the great ambition in implementing the network, the work faces many difficulties and challenges, most of which are related to the general conditions of the country. The most prominent of these challenges is as follows :

*	The difficult security conditions in the country, especially as the project carries out its work in remote areas far from city centers, which delays the installation and maintenance of stations and the implementation of the communications network .
*	The weakness of the communications network, especially since the work is carried out in remote agricultural areas far from city centers .
*	The lack of local expertise, as implementing the network is pioneering work carried out for the first time and no specialized technical staff are available before implementation, requiring more time for training and gaining experience .
*	The inability to bring in specialized foreign expertise on site due to the security situation .

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