Turkish agriculture and drought risks in the next 26 years

According to the international group Tasnim news agency, world climate changes Year after year, the situation is getting worse and worse for dry and water-scarce countries. Turkey is also in the list of countries threatened by the loss of water resources, in the meantime, it is caught in a situation that threatens the agricultural sector in addition to the industrial and household sectors.

Turkey It has been exposed to drought and a severe shortage of water resources, and the country’s agriculture and food industries are not doing well, and the citizens are worried about the unprecedented increase in food prices.

Drought in the Arctic West of Turkey

It has recently been announced that the geographical region of Marmara is one of the geographical regions of Turkey that, more than other regions, is facing a shortage crisis.

The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey, Ebrahim Yumakli, has said that in most regions of Turkey, underground water has seriously decreased, but the biggest decrease is in the Marmara region. That too in the situation where a significant part of the food and agricultural industries, especially in the production of greenhouse products, is affected by this issue in this region.

In the past it was said that water And the mild Mediterranean weather has turned several coastal provinces of Turkey into agricultural production hubs, which record the highest efficiency and productivity with humidity and moderation.

But now, work It has reached the point where the Minister of Agriculture of Turkey said in the information meeting of Basij Water Efficiency: “The situation has become difficult for most of the countries of the world and now 2.2 billion people in the world do not have access to drinking water at various levels.” We also know that the United Nations has emphasized that the last 5 years have been the hottest period in the last 170 years. But in this difficult and difficult situation, we need to address the water problems of our own country more than the global dimensions. A country with an average temperature of 38 degrees, droughts, earthquakes and floods, faces great problems in the agricultural sector. Turkey is currently one of the most vulnerable regions in the Mediterranean basin against the negative effects of climate change. /Uploaded/Image/1402/08/27/1402082711350932328797194.jpg”/>

The Minister of Agriculture of Turkey continued to say: “We are seeing the effects of climate change with widespread forest fires, landslides And we feel the loss of the ecosystem. Since our country has experienced dry years in the last 10 years, the intensity and duration of the drought has started to expand. We must remember that in the coming years, with the increase in temperature, the decrease in rain and snow is predicted for at least the next 26 years. In October and when the water year 2023 ended, the rainfall decreased by 6% compared to the long-term average, and unfortunately, the largest decrease was recorded in Marmara. Rainfall in Hatay decreased by 55% and around Edirne and Takirdagh by 40%. in Turkey

Drying up of lakes, reducing the resources of waterways or reducing the level of occupation of dams are among the most important issues that scientists and experts related to water and has worried agriculture and the environment in Turkey.

Researchers’ statements have shown that the Aral Sea has shrunk by 90% compared to its former size in the last 50 years, and Lake Akşehir since 2000 So far, it has shrunk by two-thirds.

Turkish authorities have announced that this country will soon be among the countries that suffer from water shortages. In the calculations made considering Turkey’s water potential, the amount of water per capita is 1313 cubic meters per year.

This is the maximum amount that each person can use. But in practice, the amount of consumption is much higher.

This means that according to international indicators, Turkey is already under water stress. With the continuation of the current situation, the average of 1313 meters will reach below 1000 cubic meters in 2030, that is, in just 6 years, and Turkey will face a severe shortage. Because by that time, Turkey’s population of 85 million people will be at least 93 and a half million people, and in addition, at least 7 million immigrants will be present in this country. This is a bitter formula for Turkey: 10% population increase, 20% water shortage!

At the end, it is necessary to point out that during the past years, due to the extreme policy of extensive dam construction, Turkey has managed the water of the two waterways of the region, the Tigris and the Euphrates, in a way that the two neighbors of this country, Iraq and Syria , have been placed in severe distress.

In addition to the fact that agriculture and animal husbandry in Iraq and Syria have been affected by Turkey’s dam construction measures, environmental damage including increased dust and suspended particles have also affected a part of Iran.

Nevertheless, indiscriminate dam building is not the answer to Turkey’s water problems, and apparently in the pattern of cultivation, land use change, There are many problems in this country in terms of the industrial sector and other issues. But at the same time, it should be noted that climate change has global and regional dimensions.

As a result of drought and water crisis in Turkey, for the agricultural situation in Iran And other countries in the region are also a source of concern, and if Turkey is thinking of solutions to solve the problems in the agricultural sector and the consumption pattern, Iran should also take precise and scientific measures in this area so that the country’s food security is not affected by this crisis. .

end of message/