A worker harvests broad beans in the Sharazur plains between Sulaymaniyah and Halabja, where seasonal farm work has drawn university graduates, government employees and security personnel seeking additional income. Photo by 964media.
Graduates and soldiers rise before dawn to harvest broad beans in Sharazur
SULAYMANIYAH — In the Sharazur plains between Sulaymaniyah and Halabja, broad bean farms have turned into bustling worksites before sunrise, with harvesting beginning at 4 a.m. and workers ranging from university graduates to Peshmerga fighters and police officers seeking income beyond their government salaries.
Mohammed Mahmoud, a labor contractor managing harvesting teams through WhatsApp groups, told 964media that his crew includes 70 workers harvesting broad beans across the plains, while his wife leads another team of 45 workers cultivating watermelon fields in Khurmal. “For us, the work does not stop with one season,” he said. “As soon as the bean harvest ends, we head toward Penjwen to begin planting potatoes and potato seedlings.”
Behind the dusty clothes and hats worn in the fields are law and nursing graduates who have not secured government jobs, alongside Peshmerga, security forces and police officers spending their days off in agriculture to support their families.
Sanaa Dilsuz, one of the workers, said she takes pride in the work and rejects the stigma sometimes associated with manual labor. “Work is not shameful,” she said. “The shame is sitting at home waiting for the unknown.” She said she preferred staying in Iraq rather than migrating, describing local work as “beautiful and clean” and contributing to “building the country’s economy.”
Despite the activity in the fields, some farmers expressed concern over low market prices for what they described as an excellent crop, calling on authorities to restrict imports to protect local producers.
The Sharazur plain is one of the most fertile agricultural areas in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, known for its rich soil, water resources and long agricultural history, and contains archaeological mounds linked to civilizations dating back thousands of years. Agriculture remains a major source of seasonal employment in the region, particularly as public-sector hiring has slowed and delayed salary payments have pushed many workers to seek additional income outside government jobs.