A New Way to Conserve Water in Agriculture in South Iraq: Mohammed Albadri

Mohammed noticed that the water level of the river next to his university was going down day by day as a result of climate change. It encouraged him to look for solutions and try to contribute in his own way. 

Iraq suffers from extreme drought, and water scarcity is one of the most pressing issues in Mohammed’s hometown. Especially in the agriculture sector, farmers must contend with insufficient water supply for their crops and livestock.

Water is the most important thing for them. Nowadays, there’s a scarcity of water, and it’s a very urgent issue in Iraq

says Mohammed.

Mohammed had an idea. Having studied biomedical engineering, he saw the potential of using hydrogels to conserve water in the earth. In medicine, hydrogels are used to improve wound dressings by absorbing water and nutrients to keep the wounds moist. He believes hydrogels could also be applied in agriculture to help soil absorb and retain water, which would allow farmers to reduce water usage while maintaining the same agricultural output.

I’m looking at the things that I know in my field, which is used in my daily work, hydrogels, as I know it’s a lot of applications and how it will be beneficial in that field, in water management, trying to use less water.

Combining his studies with his passion for agriculture and water management, he developed this innovative solution to mitigate the water scarcity issue.