The Department of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, in cooperation with the Continuing Education Division at the College of Agriculture, organized a workshop entitled “Fruit Orchards: Between Reality and Aspiration,” with the participation and attendance of the College’s faculty members and students.
The workshop featured a lecture delivered by Prof. Dr. Raad Ahmed Maidan, who discussed the current state of fruit orchards across Iraq, particularly in Kirkuk Governorate, highlighting the main challenges and possible solutions.
He called for expanding fruit cultivation in Iraq on sound scientific foundations by making better use of available land and modern technologies, and promoting cultivars suited to local environmental conditions. He also emphasized the importance of integrating artificial intelligence and smart technologies, applying the latest scientific practices in orchard management, pruning, and training, and addressing the challenges posed by climate change. Furthermore, he stressed the need to enhance the skills of agricultural engineers and farmers through specialized training courses covering modern approaches to orchard establishment and management.
