Perceptions and practices of farmers towards the salinity problem: the case of Harran Plain, Turkey

Fikret Adaman and Gokhan Ozertan

International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology, 2007, vol. 6, issue 4/5, 533-551

Abstract: The Harran region, located in the South-eastern part of Turkey, is facing an increasing salinity problem due to excessive and inefficient irrigation practices. In this paper, we survey 619 cotton producers in the region and analyse their perceptions and practices towards soil salinity. The survey results indicate that formal education and training are the central factors that determine the farmers' awareness of the relationship between excessive irrigation and salinity. The recognition of the negative externalities resulting from the unsustainable use of irrigation by neighbouring farms positively affects farmers' willingness to participate in collective action to deal with the salinity problem. Yet, the current institutional setting in the Harran region discourages collective action and farmer initiatives. Policymakers need to support the empowerment of the local farmers through better and locally-relevant education and training and provide adequate incentives for farmers to adopt more sustainable practices and technologies.

Keywords: cotton; farmer perceptions; farm practices; soil salinity; South-eastern Anatolia Project; survey; Turkey; Turkish agriculture; excessive irrigation; cotton production; education; training; collective action; farmer initiatives; empowerment; sustainability; sustainable development. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=13510 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:ijarge:v:6:y:2007:i:4/5:p:533-551

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology from Inderscience Enterprises Ltd
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sarah Parker ().