Amna Puri-Mirza
Research Expert covering the Middle East
Agriculture in the Middle East - statistics & facts
The Middle East's leading river systems of Euphrates and Tigris, running through today's Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey, have been known for millennia to provide lush land, facilitating one of the first human agricultural activities more than 12 thousand years ago. Thus, that region was coined the fertile crescent. The ability to farm enough food and guarantee the survival of larger human groups led to the earliest permanent human settlement. Those agricultural activities made this region known today as the cradle of civilization.
Today, Iran has the largest agriculturally cultivated area within the Middle East, with around 17.5 million hectares.
Wheat Production
Wheat was one of the first crops cultivated in the fertile crescent region around ten thousand years ago. Ever since then, it has spread throughout the world. Wheat started to be grown in Europe about five thousand years ago. Today, it stands next to rice and legumes as a leading crop for human consumption. However, wheat's region of origin is no longer a top global producer. Turkey stands out amongst the Middle Eastern countries, contributing 2.26 percent of the world's total wheat production, with a production volume of 17.5 million metric tons in 2022/2023.Agricultural irrigation
For thousands of years, the Euphrates and Tigris were reliable water sources for the region and enabled the development of agriculture and sophisticated irrigation systems. Today, however, they are at risk of drying out, compromising the agriculture industries that rely on these water sources in the area. The Middle Eastern region's soil and land are considered arid and need water. Countries such as Iran direct up to 92 percent of their total water withdrawal to the agricultural sector. Iran is one of the leading user of water supply worldwide for agriculture, although the volume of water withdrawals in India, China, and Indonesia was substantially higher. Rainfall is not a viable option for all countries in the Middle Eastern region to maintain their crops.
