Water Scarcity Effects on Iraqi Farmers in Social Media Reports: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

Water scarcity is an escalating crisis in Iraq, severely affecting farmers who rely on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for their livelihoods. Although previous studies have examined water scarcity from an economic perspective, notably the effects of water scarcity on Iraqi farmers have not been studied linguistically in social media reports. This study addresses this gap by analysing how Iraqi farmers construct narratives of struggle and urgency in social media discourse. Using a qualitative design, the study applies Fairclough’s (1995) Three-Dimensional Model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine the linguistic, discursive, and social practices within selected report in social media. The findings reveal that farmers predominantly use material processes to express their struggle and urgency, emphasising displacement, livelihood loss, lack of institutional support. Contextually, their discourse highlights the broader socio-economic impacts of water scarcity, portraying them as victims of climate change, ineffective mismanagement, and transboundary water tensions. The analysis also uncovers a significant power imbalance, as farmers have limited control over water resources and are subject to decisions made by more influential actors. Rather than being presented solely as an environmental issue, water scarcity is ideologically constructed as a crisis of equity, justice, and survival. Although this study is based on a single news report, it offers valuable sociolinguistic insights into how water scarcity is represented through discourse, and it lays a foundation for future research into the narratives of other stakeholders, such as decision-makers and environmental advocates