Azra Karaman

Pierre Ringwald

English-G

23.03.2023

Karaman 1
Farming under Fire: Crop Crisis in Turkey

In Turkey, agriculture is one of the industries most vulnerable to climate change.

Farming was never an easy occupation, but over the last decade, the challenges that Turkish

farmers encounter have increased, like drought and ice storms that devastate crops, both of which

are due to severe weather conditions. Turns out that elders aren’t making it up when they say

food used to taste better: Research demonstrates changes in weather patterns and erosion have

reduced the nutritional quality of crops. But the crop shortage will be an even bigger problem. A

study published in Nature in 2017 found that wheat, rice, maize, and soybean yields will decline

by 3.2%, 4.1%, 7.4%, and 3.1%, respectively, for each degree Celsius of global warming.

Especially in developing countries where agriculture is the backbone of the economy, like

Turkey, the reduction in crops will have even more severe consequences.

As a nation, we are currently past the point of collecting data and documenting studies in

order to prove the disruption in agricultural production, it has already become quite obvious.

Some might say, “Well that sucks, but I’m not a farmer”. What they are missing, however, is that

it’s not only the local farmer that needs to fret but the whole country, as we’re all dependent on

those farmers so that we can put dinner on the table. Yet, there is good news. As food prices

skyrocketed all over the country, the public finally realized the scale of the issue. Now that more

are aware of the matter, how can we solve it?

Scientists all around the world have been working on developing substitutes for

agricultural methods that damage the environment for some time. A study published in Global
Azra Karaman

Pierre Ringwald

English-G

23.03.2023

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Environmental Change in 2019 found that adaptation strategies, such as changes in crop

varieties, irrigation, and land use, can help mitigate the impacts of climate change on crop yields.

But these measures and climate-smart agriculture techniques are anything but reliable to counter

the effects of the estimated 1.7-degree Celsius rise in temperatures in Turkey until 2050. Since

these measures are new, they can be costly and do not always take into account different areas'

environmental characteristics.

Thus, it’s easier said than done, to come up with a perfect solution. There is a need for

research, technology, infrastructure, institutional innovation, data gathering, and policy

assistance to develop alternative climate-smart farming methods. Understanding the interaction

between crop yields and climate change should be a focus for everyone, not just farmers.

Consequently, for the future of Turkey, it’s critical that attention be drawn to agriculture, and

each citizen should be included in solving the issue.

Ultimately, we all have to eat, regardless of occupation.

Works Cited

Bozoglu, Mehmet, et al. “Impacts of Climate Change on Turkish Agriculture.” J. Int.

Environmental Application & Science, vol. 14, no. 3, 2019, pp. 97–103,

dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/809992. Accessed 21 Mar. 2023.

Creswell, Julie. “Companies’ Climate Promises Face a Wild Card: Farmers.” The New York

Times, 9 July 2022,

Azra Karaman

Pierre Ringwald

English-G

23.03.2023

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www.nytimes.com/2022/07/09/business/farmers-climate-change.html?searchResultPositi

on=2.

Dumrul, Yasemin, and Zerrin Kilicarslan. “Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture:

Empirical Evidence from the ARDL Approach for Turkey.” Pressacademia, vol. 6, no. 4,

Dec. 2017, pp. 336–47, https://doi.org/10.17261/pressacademia.2017.766.

“From Turkey to Sweden to Spread Regenerative Agriculture | Ashoka | Everyone a

Changemaker.” Www.ashoka.org, 2021,

www.ashoka.org/en-nrd/story/turkey-sweden-spread-regenerative-agriculture. Accessed

21 Mar. 2023.

Qiu, Linda. “Federal Government’s $20 Billion Embrace of ‘Climate Smart’ Farming.” The New

York Times, 26 Sept. 2022,

www.nytimes.com/2022/09/26/us/politics/climate-smart-farming-agriculture-department.

html?searchResultPosition=2. Accessed 21 Mar. 2023.

US EPA. “Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” United States Environmental Protection

Agency, 5 Aug. 2022, www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions.