Farmers fight to adapt as droughts loom in COP31 host Turkey
EWG•Turkish farmers are switching crops and shrinking cotton acreage as drought and rising input costs strain agriculture. The government plans to allocate 174 billion lira ($3.5 billion) for irrigation investments next year, while Turkey's cotton output is expected to fall 38% in 2026.
1. Farmers change crops
Mehmet Kabak, who has grown cotton in western Turkey for decades, is planting wheat and sunflower because they require less water and cost less to grow. He said irrigation and other input costs rose 40% to 60% as his harvest was damaged.
2. Cotton and water pressures
Turkey's seed cotton output is expected to fall 38% year-on-year to 1.2 million metric tons in 2026. In the Soke region, drought and rising costs have reduced cotton acreage by about 60%, to around 120,000 decares. Agriculture accounts for about 5% of Turkey's economic output and consumes 79% of its water; nearly half of that water is lost through inefficient infrastructure and irrigation, the government has said.
3. Funding adaptation
Turkey has earmarked 174 billion lira ($3.5 billion) for agricultural irrigation investments in next year's budget, a 40.5% increase in funding for land and water resources management. Farmers and industry representatives say access to technical support and finance remains difficult. A World Bank analysis estimated that a 10% reduction in water supply could cost Turkey 6% of GDP, or about $50 billion, through its impact on agriculture.
