Organic Agriculture Potential of Eastern Black Sea Region

Abstract

Mankind caused a lot of harm to their environment unintentionally during agriculture. Thus nowadays production techniques that are compatible with nature, making the right use of the resources, targeting sustainable development, looking after animal welfare are beginning to spread throughout the world. Especially organic agriculture among those techniques gained a seat as it depends on customer preference. Organic agriculture that has the following five fundamental features: compatibility to nature, self sufficiency, sustainability, welfare, traceability began with the production of dried grape, dried figs, dried apricots and nuts in our country during the 1980s with the contractual agriculture system intending to export. During the following years, hardshell and dried fruits, frozen fruits and vegetables, fresh fruits and vegetables, spices and legumes followed the previous ones in export. Also, production and exportation of rose water, rose oil, olive oil, cotton and textile products increased considerably. In our country where there is a wide variety of products for organic agriculture, in eastern black sea region tea and nuts are the most cultivated products. Organic agriculture is carried out in every province of the region, the contribution of provinces in percentage as follows: Rize 42%, Ordu 25%, Artvin 13%, Trabzon 10%, Gumushane and Giresun 5%. Organic stock raising is done only in Gumushane and Ordu. Gümüşhane has the most promising potential for organic stock raising.