Farmers devastated as unforeseen crisis wipes out 40 percent of harvest: 'I've never seen anything like this'

A series of severe weather events has been affecting the country of Turkey, highlighting the issue that natural disasters pose to farmers and agriculture.

What's happening?

According to the Turkish Minute, the region has experienced frost, followed by hailstorms and now heat waves, and the result has been brutal for lemon and other fruit farmers.

"We lost nearly 40% of our produce due to these three disasters," citrus farmer Aleaddin Çoğal told the Turkish Minute. He explained how the frost effectively killed many blossoms, hail wounded the small fruits, and the heat wave has "literally boiled" much of the remaining crops in the southern Adana province.

When the temperatures peaked in the region in August, creating this heat wave, an apricot farmer, Orhan Karaca, also spoke of the grave nature of the weather events. 

"I've been growing apricots for 40 years, and I've never seen anything like this. Farmers are no longer trying to save their harvest but rather their trees," the farmer and head of a chamber of agriculture in the eastern Malatya province said, per the Turkish Minute.

Why are the lost crops concerning?

FreshPlaza reported that Turkey's fruit exports hit $3.4 billion in 2024. Especially in regions like the southern Adana, where livelihoods depend on the growth and sale of agriculture, these continuous weather events are creating dire circumstances.

The loss of these crops could result in economic losses for farmers and impact consumers, as prices will go up as supply decreases.

Other severe weather events are impacting horticulture and agriculture across the world — it's not just Texas wheat. Droughts in Greece are making the production of its staple good, chestnuts, more difficult, while excessive heat is causing issues with potato farming in Pennsylvania.

While some unpredictable weather is normal, excessive and intense weather events point to a bigger issue. Rising global temperatures, largely attributed to human activity and toxic pollution, contribute to imbalanced weather worldwide.

What's being done about the impacted farmers?

While Turkey's government continues to supply aid to impacted farmers, the price rise for consumers is fairly certain.

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As natural disasters are supercharged by rising global temperatures related to the burning of dirty energy sources, exploring clean energy options, such as solar panels, can help offset the environmental damage done.

Furthermore, exploring critical climate issues can help you remain informed on how natural disasters affect you or your area in unexpected ways. To go the extra mile, if farmers near you are impacted by environmental issues, you can contact your public officials to ask them to support programs that aid farmers.

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