The Story of return and rebuilding: olive trees grow again in Tal Afar

August 10, 2025

Mohammed Emad Shihab, 18 years old, from Tal Afar, remembers the difficult days he and his brothers experienced during the 4 years as IDPs in Mosul, away from their home and farm. During that time, he worked on many jobs to help his family earn a living, at the same time, he was trying to continue his education. He was a middle school student when the liberation began, and by the time he reached high school.

Today, he is at the last stage as a student in high school, dreaming of a better future.

A man sits on a rug at a low table, writing in bright sunlight against a simple backdrop.

After ISIL

After their area was liberated from ISIL, Mohammed and his brother returned with their family to their village in Tal Afar, only to discover the extent of the destruction. Nothing remained of their family home or farm except ashes, as if life had completely stopped there. Even their uncle’s house was no better off.

Beginning again

Their first step was to rebuild their home. Mohammed and his brother worked together to repair and restore the damaged parts of the house. It was a strenuous task, but they were happy to be back, restoring stability to their lives. After rebuilding the house and restoring water and electricity, they started thinking about repairing the farm.

New plan

During this period, they heard about the grants offered through UNDP's Iraq via the organization WHH, and seized the opportunity to revive their farm. After assessing their situation, they received a grant that supported them in purchasing farming equipment, including a tractor for tilling soil, a water tank with a capacity of 3,000 liters, a water pump, and drip irrigation systems.

Mohammed decided to plant special types of trees, especially high-quality and profitable olive trees (Al Qaisi and Khalkhali), along with citrus and fig trees, this type of olive tree is highly resistant to drought and cold, tolerates calcareous soils, and exhibits strong immunity against common olive tree diseases. Additionally, it is notably high-yielding and produces large-sized fruits.

Now, as the young trees grow each day, he envisions a bright future ahead. When the trees bear fruit, he plans to sell the harvest to earn a good income, which will help him further develop the farm. His next dream is to install a solar system to operate water pumps, reducing costs and increasing profits.

Supported by the United Nations Development Programme’s Building Resilience through Employment Promotion (BREP) programme, in partnership with the Welthungerhilfe (WHH), with generous funding from the German government through KfW Development Bank, Mohammed has learned that hope never dies. Every drop of sweat he sheds on this land is building his future and proving that life will return stronger than before.

Today, as we say goodbye to Mohammed and his brother, we see the spark of hope in their eyes. We are confident that the next visit will reveal a farm that is more flourishing and beautiful than ever before.