The importance of agricultural legislation and laws in achieving some sustainable development goals

The importance of agricultural legislation and laws in achieving some sustainable development goals

 

Prof. Dr. Ali Darub KassarAl-Hiyali

Dept.of Agricultural Economics

 

Agricultural legislation plays an important role in organizing agricultural activity and determining the rules of agricultural relations between the state represented by its departments related to agriculture and between farmers or those engaged in agriculture and between these farmers each other with each other, and as long as these legislations are the focus of agricultural activity in the state, they should be realistic and clear-cut so that it is it has its effectiveness and feasibility, which makes it a sound management of agricultural policy planning and programs, and facilitates its efficient and targeted application, for which the state legislates. Numerous legislations have been issued covering various aspects of agricultural production, and over time, a comprehensive review should be conducted so that the state can demonstrate the smoothness and effectiveness of these laws and their compliance with the economic and social changes that society is going through until they become fully compatible with the needs of society and a positive way to advance development and raise the level of agricultural production. And that the term sustainable development, although it was not prevalent since the beginning of the enactment of those laws, but the Iraqi legislator took it upon himself to achieve most of the goals that were identified and approved later within what is known as sustainable development.

             Legislation in general, including agricultural legislation, was concerned with regulating and protecting the use of available resources at the present time, while ensuring their sustainability for future generations. As the agricultural legislation in Iraq, since the issuance of the Agrarian Reform Law in 1958 and until the present time, contains among its folds and within its paragraphs and articles what came in line with the sustainable development goals that were identified by the United Nations and what was stated in international agreements and treaties that concern the issue of sustainable development, which requires With him to stand on the consensus and analyze it to work on confirming it and focus on continuing to work according to it and adding legislation and regulations that enhance its existence and ensure the achievement of its set goals. There are many sustainable development goals, which have been set by international organizations with many goals, and agricultural legislation and laws had a great contribution to embodying them within its paragraphs, as follows:

             With regard to the goal of reducing inequalities, the Agrarian Reform Law No. 117 of 1970 and in light of Article (2) came to achieve one of the sustainable development goals stipulated in accordance with international agreements and general concepts by defining agricultural lands distributed to farmers in specific areas according to the nature of the region and the means of irrigation regardless About people and discrimination among them. Rather, these lands are distributed according to the environment surrounding that category of individuals, and this ensures the reduction of inequalities and the non-monopolization of land in the hands of a certain group of individuals at the expense of others.

            With regard to the goal of sustainable development of peace, justice and strong institutions, the Agrarian Reform Law No. 117 of 1970 was compatible with this goal within Article (6) in order to guarantee the rights of farmers in the lands that have undergone agrarian reform and their access to the output of what was planted in the season that was issued In this decision, as for Article (8 and 9) the rights of farmers who seized their land with the aim of repairing it are guaranteed the right to compensation for the value of what was invested on that land according to a set of criteria that are followed in fair assessment, as well as compensating it with another area equivalent to the value of that land. That have been reclaimed.

            As for the legislation of the Facilitated Agricultural Loan Fund Law, it was consistent with the goals of sustainable development, including the goal of eliminating poverty that has spread among farmers in rural areas and providing the necessary funding to invest and cultivate their lands in a way that brings them a rewarding income that improves their standard of living and develops their agricultural production at the same time.

             As for the goal of the partnership contract with the private sector to achieve the goals of sustainable development, it was addressed by Law No. 35 for the lease of agrarian reform lands to agricultural companies and individuals in accordance with Article 1 of this law to give the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation the authority to rent areas of agricultural reform lands surplus to the farmers’ need for Iraqi and Arab agricultural companies or for individuals and investing them for a purpose in accordance with the requirements of the public interest and in order to achieve the goals of sustainable development, as for Article (4) of this law, it was appropriate to the goal of developing industry, innovation and infrastructure by restricting private sector companies and investors using scientific methods in investment and maintenance of irrigation and drainage companies and roads, not harming the leased land and not exploiting it for other than the purposes for which it was allocated, as well as a law for the maintenance of Irrigation and drainage networks No. 12 of 1995, which aims at the contribution of farmers who benefit from vital irrigation and drainage projects in their maintenance and maintenance, which leads to raising the level of agricultural production in quantity and quality and preserves the fertility and vitality of the land for its continued use for future generations, which is an achievement of the most important goals of sustainable development in thinking about the future generations and not to drain resources for the benefit of current generations.

              As for the two objectives of consumption and production, one of whose purposes is to produce more in a better way and at a lower cost, it has been addressed within the agricultural legislation in accordance with Law No. (46) Article 2, which aims to regulate the operations of trading agricultural materials to ensure their conformity with the required specifications and to protect agricultural production and its safety Working to reduce costs and increase farmers' income. As well as the Agricultural Production Protection and Development Law No. 71 of 1978, which aims to oblige farmers to dispose of agricultural lands, orchards, and means of agricultural production, and to manage and exploit them in accordance with the state’s plans, curriculum, care and development, and to refrain from everything that leads to its damage and damage in a manner that secures the exploitation and investment of these wealth in a scientific manner in accordance with A sustainable development plan to ensure the availability and sustainability of agricultural production.

            Also, Law No. (46) regulating the circulation of agricultural materials included the conditions and tools through which the goal of sustainable development is achieved to ensure the good health and well-being of individuals in the light of Article (10) by controlling chemical substances such as fertilizers and pesticides that are dealt with for the production of agricultural food commodities, including It guarantees its safety from diseases and other side effects that negatively affect the health of the consumer citizen, as well as the Agricultural Quarantine Law No. 76 of 2012, which aimed to prevent the entry, spread and settlement of agricultural pests to the extent necessary to protect plant production and then human health from its dangers and the reflection of its future effects on health the public.

               The Rice Cultivation Law No. (135) was compatible with the goal of preserving natural resources, which is one of the sustainable development goals by regulating the cultivation of the rice crop and defining the areas and areas covered by its cultivation, because it is one of the crops that require large amounts of water, and to leave it randomly and without specifying It will affect the cultivation and production of other agricultural crops that are essential in human food, as well as the Agricultural Production Protection and Development Law No. (71) of 1978, which sought to exploit the available agricultural resources from land and production requirements and others to serve the goal of providing sustainable food for individuals and increasing agricultural production, especially Basic food commodities that affect the life of the citizen.

While the goal of sustainable development represented by gender equality was taken care of by the Iraqi legislator in the light of the Iraqi Civil Code of 1951 with regard to the princely lands, which are owned by the state with giving the right of disposition and possession to individuals to benefit from and pass to the heirs of the beneficiary after death without differentiation in the right The transition between male and female and equal between them in the share in order to achieve several goals, one of which is equality between the sexes.

 

Keywords: sustainable food, protection of local production, sustainable communities,  agricultural finance

 

REFERENCES

Noor, A. A. and et.al. An Economic Analysis of the Impact of Some Agricultural Lows on formulating of Agricultural Policies in Iraq to Achieve of Sustainable Development goals. PhD thesis. Department of Agricultural Economics. College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences. University of Baghdad. 2021.

Noor, A. A. and et.al.2021 Analyzing the position of rice farmers on the results of implementing agricultural policy in Iraq using Likert scale. Al-Muthanna Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 8 (4). DOI 10.52113/mjas04/8.4/30

Noor, A. A. and et.al. 2022. The impact of some agricultural legislation and wheat farmers' commitment to it in Wasit Governorate. 21(1)

 

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