After seeing his once-lush rice field shrink in recent years due to relentless drought, Iraqi farmer Muntazer al-Joufi fought back using tougher seeds and water-saving irrigation techniques. Joufi is among farmers receiving support from the agriculture ministry whose experts have been developing innovative methods to save Iraq's rice production. "Using traditional methods, 10 to 15 people were required to manually get the water from here and there. Now, only one person is needed to operate the sprinklers and pump, and the field is irrigated properly," he explains. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES