Economic Analysis of the Most Important Variables Affecting the Food Security Factors for the Wheat Crop in Iraq for the Period 1995-2022

Abstract The problem of food security is one of the problems that emerged clearly in the 1960s, which affected many countries, especially countries that find it difficult to provide food for their people, including Iraq. The Iraqi agricultural sector is still suffering from problems, the impact of which was reflected in a deficiency in meeting the population’s need for food, and it is still suffering from many problems due to the circumstances that the country went through, which affected the country’s productive reality. The results showed that the annual growth rates of economic indicators (area and production) of the wheat crop during the study period took a decreasing path, which resulted in a deficiency in meeting individual demand. The results showed that there was a large negative food gap between wheat production and the consumer need for it, recorded on average at about (-54133.8) during the study period. The results showed that the value of the food security factor for the wheat crop was about 0.73, which indicates that the value of the food security factor is smaller than the correct one. It is greater than (0.5), which is sufficient for more than six months, which requires the relevant agencies in the government institution to maintain the level of food security and strive to increase these rates from the rest of the joints of the country concerned, either through vertical expansion of crop cultivation or increasing imports, which in turn leads to Accumulation in the strategic reserve to cover local consumption and enhance food security and the ability to face emergency conditions that the country may face.