Challenges

Cultivating barley in cropland requires a large amount of water consumption as well as a high energy consumption to power irrigation. A fully grown barley plant will take one entire season to be ready for harvest, thus the value chain of cultivating barley comes with a high cost that is not suitable for farmers and livestock traders. This also triggers an augmented purchase price of meat for consumers.

Solutions

Albu Saif started growing barley in hydroponic systems in Mosul province. This reduces the production period for 500 kg of fully grown fodder to only 8 days, without compromising on the nutritional value and quality of cropland. Cultivating barley by using Albu Saif’s method would cause a huge drop in its price in the market and the price of livestock will decrease accordingly.

Another solution explored by the Albu Saif is utilizing progestin-impregnated vaginal sponges for livestock to produce twin offspring and thus increase the number of livestock that can be sold for a lower cost.