🌾 The Agricultural Middle East: Between Ancient Roots and Modern Tensions | Agriculture Middle East History and Conflicts

Introduction

Long before pipelines, regional alliances, or border tensions, the Middle East was a land of food. In the Fertile Crescent, early civilizations domesticated wheat, barley, pulses, and fig trees more than 10,000 years ago. Today, agriculture still plays a crucial role—at the intersection of culture, economy, politics, and climate. But between armed conflicts, droughts, depleting water tables, and dependence on imports, the challenges are immense.

I. A land of ancient cultures… still active

The Fertile Crescent encompasses parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. It was here that the first agricultural societies in human history emerged. To this day, these ancestral cultures persist, adapted to local conditions or modernized:

• Wheat & Barley : Widely grown in Turkey, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Israel and Egypt

• Dates : Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Emirates, Egypt

• Pomegranates & Olives : Iran, Turkey, Syria, Israel, Lebanon

• Figs, Raisins, Walnuts, Almonds, Pistachios : Turkey, Iran, Israel

• Legumes (lentils, chickpeas): Iraq, Syria, Turkey

• Modern market gardening : Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Emirates

• Specialized crops :

  • Saffron (Iran, world's largest producer)

  • Cotton (Egypt, Syria)

  • Fresh herbs & avocados (Israel)

    
    

II. Agricultural pillars by country

Türkiye

• Very diverse: cereals, pistachios, hazelnuts, tomatoes, figs, olives

• 6.5% of GDP comes from agriculture

• Strong production for export, especially to Europe

Iran

• Dominated by pistachio, saffron, dates, citrus fruits

• Traditional qanat irrigation system in rural areas

• Impacted by sanctions, drought and desertification

Israel

• High agricultural technology (drip irrigation, drones, precision agriculture)

• Major exporter of tomatoes, citrus fruits, dates, herbs

• Small cultivable area but high yield

Egypt

• Agriculture around the Nile

• Rice, cotton, wheat, vegetables and citrus fruits

• Heavy dependence on wheat imports

Iraq & Syria

• Strong historical potential (wheat, barley, dates)

• Currently weakened by conflicts and the reduction in the flow of the Tigris and Euphrates

Jordan

• Greenhouse crops (tomatoes, cucumbers)

• Advanced irrigation despite water shortage

Saudi Arabia

• Dates and desert agriculture with deep irrigation

• Depends on fossil water, non-renewable

III. Pistachio in Türkiye: a green treasure from the Southeast

Turkey is the world's third largest producer of pistachios , after Iran and the United States.

Key regions:

• Gaziantep : historic capital of Antep fıstığı

• Siirt : milder variety, very popular

• Şanlıurfa , Kahramanmaraş : production increasing

Production & Economy

• In 2022, approximately 300,000 tons of pistachios were produced (TÜİK)

• A large part is consumed locally (confectionery, baklava, ice cream)

• Exports are increasing, particularly to Germany, Italy, the Gulf countries and China

• Unstable income : the pistachio tree is subject to biennial alternation (strong harvest one year, weak the next)

  
  

  Crops remain relatively unmechanized, rooted in rural know-how, often passed down within the family.

IV. When War Eats Away the Earth

Syria

• Since 2011, wheat production has fallen by 60% (FAO)

• Thousands of abandoned farms, destroyed irrigation canals

• Drought and fertilizer prices worsen the crisis

Iraq

• Agricultural areas destroyed by conflicts and the gradual drying up of rivers

• Reduction of the flow of the Tigris and Euphrates (dams in Türkiye and Iran)

• Wheat cultivation is suffering enormously from this.

Yemen

• War + famine = total agricultural crisis

• 17 million people in food insecurity (OCHA, 2024)

Lebanon

• Financial crisis = collapse of access to fertilizers and fuels

• Exodus of young farmers

V. Trade flows

Exports

• Pistachios : Turkey and Iran → Europe, China, India

• Saffron : Iran → Spain, Emirates, France

• Dates : Saudi Arabia, Iran → Maghreb, Southeast Asia

• Citrus & Strawberries : Egypt → Russia, EU

• Vegetables : Israel & Jordan → Gulf Countries

• Figs, raisins, hazelnuts : Turkey → EU

Imports

• The Middle East imports massively :

  • Wheat (France, Ukraine, Russia)

  • Rice (India, Pakistan)

  • Sugar, powdered milk, vegetable oils

    
    

V. Trade flows

Exports

• Pistachios : Turkey and Iran → Europe, China, India

• Saffron : Iran → Spain, Emirates, France

• Dates : Saudi Arabia, Iran → Maghreb, Southeast Asia

• Citrus & Strawberries : Egypt → Russia, EU

• Vegetables : Israel & Jordan → Gulf Countries

• Figs, raisins, hazelnuts : Turkey → EU

Imports

• The Middle East imports massively :

  • Wheat (France, Ukraine, Russia)

  • Rice (India, Pakistan)

  • Sugar, powdered milk, vegetable oils

VI. Climate, water, exodus: the growing challenges

🌍 Climate

• Rising temperatures

• Decrease in precipitation

• Chronic drought in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan

💧 Water

• Major water crisis: shared rivers, overexploited water tables

• Latent conflicts over resources (e.g. Iran vs Afghanistan over the Helmand River – Reuters, 2023)

👨🌾 Society

• Aging of the agricultural population

• Massive departure of young people to cities or abroad

• Weak state support in several countries

Conclusion

The agricultural Middle East is both ancient and fragile. The pistachio trees of Gaziantep, the qanats of Iran, the tomato fields of Jordan, and the date palms of Arabia tell a story of survival, resilience, and rootedness. But as conflict, climate change, and urbanization intensify, the region's nourishing lands are in danger.

Preserving agriculture means preserving more than just food. It means defending a culture, a sovereignty, a history. And it is urgent to give it back the attention it deserves.

🧾 Sources & References

• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), 2023 report

• TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute), agricultural data 2022

• UNESCO: World Heritage Qanats of Iran, 2016

• Science Magazine: Fig Domestication in the Jordan Valley (vol. 312, 2006)

• Nature Journal: Groundwater use in Saudi Arabia (vol. 542, 2017)

• OCHA: Yemen Crisis Report, 2024

• ITC TradeMap: Agricultural exports by country

• Reuters: Iran-Afghanistan water dispute, 2023

• Ministry of Agriculture - Israel, export overview, 2023