Abstract

The research discusses the topic of developing saline agriculture in Al-Muthanna Governorate. Salinization is one of the main threats that limit agriculture throughout the world. In addition to salinization, droughts occur frequently due to climate change, leading to increased poverty and loss of livelihoods for much of the agricultural workforce. Some people have long believed that saline soil is not suitable for agriculture, but as a result of in-depth research, crops can be grown in lands affected by salts. Agricultural lands affected by salts can be reclaimed and reused by planting appropriate crops (that tolerate salt), adopting appropriate irrigation techniques, fertilizers, and analyzing Climatic conditions in the study area.
The idea of ​​saline agriculture is that salty water is more suitable for growing plants that tolerate salt. Saline agriculture aims to search for sustainable sources of livelihood and provide food security in different areas that may be very poor areas and agriculture may be the only source of life in them. Through delving into this research, it became clear that the effect of salinity on agricultural lands varies from one region to another. Therefore, it has become necessary to get rid of the salt deposits that the soil suffers from in the study area and to find soil free of salts in order to achieve successful agriculture. Therefore, research must be done on how to develop Saline agriculture. The main problem of the study was (How can saline agriculture be developed in the study area?) The main hypothesis was the existence of a set of strategies necessary for the purpose of developing saline agriculture in the study area, including the cultivation of various crops that can be adopted to reduce soil salinity and exploit degraded soil. Therefore, the study aims to research the reclamation and reinvestment of degraded lands affected by salinity through planting them with crops that can tolerate all degrees of salinity. Soil and irrigation water salinity. The study relied on a number of geographical approaches in order to achieve the research objectives, including the regional approach and the analytical approach, in addition to relying on library sources. In light of this, the research was divided into three axes. The first axis dealt with the concept of saline agriculture and its importance. The second axis addressed the causes of soil salinization and its types in Muthanna Governorate. As for the third and final axis, it discussed the most important crops proposed for cultivation in saline soil in Muthanna Governorate, and among the most important results it reached. Research: There are different crops, whether field crops, industrial crops, or others, that can tolerate different degrees of soil salinity and are of a high degree of importance through their contribution to agricultural production in the study area. While the most important proposals addressed in the research are the necessity of providing various extension programs and financial support and providing all agricultural work needs for the purpose of encouraging saline agriculture. The research ended with a list of footnotes, sources, and references through which the research achieved its scientific hypothesis .