Açýklama:
Turkey, with a total of 28.054.000 ha arable land, is still an agricultural country with prime soils covering only 17.5% of this figure. The rest of the country comprises diverse topographical features with an average of 1100m elevation and more than 6% slopes. Soil sealing and raw material exploitation –the irreversible losses- which are the outcomes of high population increase and migrations throughout the country along with erosion and salinity build-up are the main factors inducing land degradation that also give rise and accelerate deforestation, overgrazing, improper tillage and excess irrigation. The decline of organic matter, contamination due to overuse of fertilizers and industrial waste products, loss of biodiversity and hydro-geological risks, such as floods and landslides -the relatively reversible losses of land and soil still fulfilling functions in a reduced way- are also the current problems of land degradation in Turkey.
Despite the struggle of the governmental bodies against poverty, the actual land use in Turkey both reduces the quality of soils and induces the loss of natural resources, thus the welfare of the rural dwellers ie 40% of the population.
