Farmers innovate to save Iraq's rice production   

"It's the first time we're using modern techniques that consume less water" to cultivate rice, Joufi, 40, said as he surveyed his land in the central province of Najaf. "There is a huge difference" compared to flooding the field, Joufi added, referring to a traditional method by which the land must stay submerged all summer. But four consecutive years of drought and declining rainfall have strangled rice production in Iraq, which is still recovering from years of war and chaos, and where rice and bread are a staple of the diet.