2 Thousand Decares of Idle Land Brought Back to Life with Water in Selçuk
· GıdaTarım
A modern drip irrigation facility, completed with an investment of 15.5 million Turkish Liras by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, has brought 2,000 decares of idle land back to agriculture and the economy in Selçuk.
Details of the Modern Irrigation Project
The Izmir Metropolitan Municipality's Department of Agricultural Services has implemented the Selçuk Central Subsurface Drip Irrigation Facility project to support sustainable agriculture and combat drought. The modern facility, completed with a total investment of 15.5 million Turkish Liras, has begun operation in partnership with the Selçuk Central Irrigation Cooperative. Thanks to the established infrastructure, producers now have the opportunity to use water in a controlled and efficient manner through a prepaid meter system. The project, covering an area equivalent to approximately 280 football fields, has completely transformed agricultural activities in the region.
Salinity Problem and Quality Increase
Buket Kuyumcu Yücel, an Agricultural Engineer from the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality working in the region, stated that the facility was completed in 2024 and noted that the water supplied from boreholes in the past was excessively saline. Yücel made the following assessment regarding the transformation in the area:
"As the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, we completed this facility in 2024. Before the facility became operational, there were agricultural areas in the region that did not receive water. Now, these areas can be irrigated, and new planting areas have emerged. In particular, the number of our farmers growing pomegranates has increased."
Emphasizing that the quality water has reduced the salinity levels in the soil and eliminated the need for individual wells for producers, Agricultural Engineer Buket Kuyumcu Yücel added:
"We have also observed a decrease in the soil salinity levels. These results make us extremely happy. As the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, we will continue our efforts to ensure that our farmers can access water more easily and efficiently."
Bringing Idle Lands Back to the Economy
Producers, united under the irrigation cooperative, have resumed agricultural activities on lands that had been unproductive for a long time, with the activation of the transmission lines. Mehmet Bayraktar, the Head of the Selçuk Irrigation Cooperative, described the impact of the project in the area with the following words:
"The delivery of water to those lands has enabled the cultivation of products such as quince, pomegranate, and citrus fruits. Approximately 2,000 decares of idle land, which previously did not receive water, has now been brought back to agriculture and the economy."
Bayraktar stated that former grazing and barren lands have been transformed into high-yield orchards with regular irrigation.
Development in Regional Fruit Production
With the provision of access to quality irrigation water, yield losses from artesian sources have been completely prevented. Selçuk Irrigation Cooperative Head Mehmet Bayraktar made the following statement on the matter:
"Despite having fertile lands, it was quite difficult to produce in these areas. Thanks to the facility, we have gained access to quality water and largely overcome this problem. The increase in production, the strengthening of agriculture, and the contribution to the economy are a great source of happiness for all of us."
With access to water, the production of quince, pomegranate, peach, citrus fruits, and vegetables has rapidly expanded in the area, and harvest expectations have also increased.