TEKIRDAG VISIT

TEKIRDAG VISIT TO LEARN ABOUT LARGE SCALE CONVENTIONAL FARMING

July 3, 2022

My mother’s family have been large scale farmers for generations. I visited the wheat harvest at the family farm and spent some time with my uncle, Ertugrul Karaevli, to learn about conventional farming. I took part in the tilling process of the land. This trip was eye opening and made me think about the many facets of the climate change / farming / health paradigm. Just like many parts of the world, Thrace is also experiencing drought. The rainfall has not change much but the intensity of the rain has changed. When it pours cats and dogs, the rain damages the soil which results in unfavorable farming conditions. My uncle says that if the climate change related drought continues, we would have to move towards minimum-till farming as well. This would mean that the machinery has to change. Can the small time farmers afford this change?

However, after discussing the pros and cons of no-till and organic farming with my uncle, a new idea surfaced. Many people want their fruit and vegetables to look perfect, have the perfect color, size and also they want organic farming and care about the environment. Well, you cannot have your cake and eat it too. My uncle says that we are all approaching a time where everyone need to decide what they want. The farmers need to change but so do the consumers.

I am thinking about projects to raise awareness of the consumers.