Iraqi olive farmers look to the sun to power their production

Iraqi olive farmers look to the sun to power their production

FADHILIYA- Among olive groves that were once a front line between Islamic State militants and Iraqi forces, Yunis Salman and a few fellow farmers are harnessing what they believe should be the future of Middle East agriculture: the power of the sun.

Solar panels installed last year between his family's 1,500 olive trees help to power water pumping and irrigation, providing enough for production and several hours of electricity each day for their home.

The solar energy has replaced the several barrels of fuel oil a day that they used to consume, Salman said.

"My brother Omar got the idea after researching green energy online," Salman said at the farm near the northern Iraqi village of Fadhiliya, outside Mosul. "He thought this was perfect for Iraq, where we get so much sun."

Omar Salman bought solar panels for $12,000 and then appealed to the United Nations Development Programme, which has funded and expanded the project, he said.

Salman believes solar power should be the future of agriculture and energy in the Middle East, where stifling summers are getting longer and hotter.

"We suffer every summer, so why not at least use it" Salman said.

In Iraq, a dilapidated national grid often provides only a few hours of