Cartographic Analysis of Strategic Crops in Iraq

Abstract

The study examined the cultivated area of ​​strategic crops in Iraq and the production quantity, such as wheat, barley, rice, and yellow corn, for four years (2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020). The study also represented the cultivated area and the produced quantity of agricultural crops using various map representation methods, such as color gradation, squares, triangles, and columns. The agricultural sector is one of the sectors that contribute to national income, and fluctuations in agricultural crops cause an economic crisis. The study aims to use map representation methods using geographic information systems to represent the variation in the quantity and area of ​​strategic crops in Iraq. The study included an analytical approach to analyze maps and a comparative approach to compare crops during the study years in governorates and districts. It also included a descriptive approach to describe map representation methods and the development of map drawing and uses, as well as data on the cultivated area and the produced quantity of crops. Then study included two chapters, conclusions, recommendations, sources, and appendices. The conclusions demonstrated that the map's ability to represent agricultural crops and methods The cartographic representation shows the variation in the area and quantity of agricultural crops according to the year and location using the color gradient method, squares, triangles, columns, and the divided circle to compare each crop over time periods. The squares and triangles method is the mosamong the cartographic representation methods to show the variation between data such as the cultivated area and the quantity of production. The research concluded the necessity of enhancing strategic crops with integrated national plans and the necessity of adopting the map as a tool in agricultural planning and developing the infrastructure of the countryside and the agricultural sector from storage, transportation, and marketing centers to reduce harvest losse.