Why is land collapse accelerating in Turkey's Konya region?

Land collapse is accelerating due to dwindling rainfall, extreme heat, and intensive groundwater extraction for irrigation, which depletes reserves and destabilizes the land.

What are farmers in Konya doing to adapt to the water crisis?

Farmers are adapting by reintroducing less water-intensive crops like hemp and reviving ancient dry-farming techniques that do not require irrigation.

How are sinkholes affecting farmers in Turkey's breadbasket?

Sinkholes are appearing at an increasing pace, swallowing farmland and threatening homes, creating an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty for the agricultural community.

Home / Environment / Turkey's Breadbasket Crumbles: Land Collapse Fears Grow

Turkey's Breadbasket Crumbles: Land Collapse Fears Grow

28 Feb

•

Summary

Increasing sinkholes force farmers to fear for their homes.
Groundwater extraction for irrigation depletes reserves, worsening land collapse.
Farmers adapt by planting less water-intensive crops like hemp.

Turkey's Breadbasket Crumbles: Land Collapse Fears Grow

The fertile region of Konya, Turkey's breadbasket, is facing a severe crisis as land collapse accelerates. Farmers report the appearance of numerous sinkholes, some large enough to swallow entire fields, creating an atmosphere of constant fear and uncertainty.

This phenomenon is driven by a combination of dwindling rainfall, rising temperatures, and excessive groundwater extraction for irrigation. Farmers have to dig deeper wells, further depleting underground reserves and destabilizing the land, which is geologically prone to sinkholes.