Eastern Anatolia Region Agricultural Land Use
Evaluations on agricultural land use and usable water potential in the Eastern Anatolia Region reveal remarkable results. Within the scope of the Eastern Anatolia Project (EAP), which is within the scope of 15 provinces in the region, 68% of the lands used for agricultural purposes are cultivated, while 26% are left fallow. Although the region has 15% of Turkey’s agricultural land, it has 36% of its usable water potential.
Water Resources Cannot Be Used Effectively
While Bingöl is the province with the highest usable water potential per agricultural area in the region, provinces such as Elazığ, Tunceli and Hakkari also have high water potential. However, water resources cannot be used efficiently enough due to reasons such as the topographic structure in the region, the small size of agricultural lands and the ineffective use of water resources.
Water resources cannot be used effectively in the region due to reasons such as insufficient maintenance and repair of the existing irrigation infrastructure, the fact that the facilities have completed their economic life and the irrigation infrastructure has not reached many areas.
An area of 441,174 hectares is irrigated with the irrigation facilities built within the scope of the Great Water Works Program. However, floods pose a problem due to natural factors as well as incorrect land use and interventions in stream beds. As a result of DSI’s work, the amount of area protected from floods has increased.
| provinces | Energy Consumption in Agricultural Irrigation |
|---|---|
| Malatya | Above Average |
| Elazığ | Above Average |
| bitlis | Above Average |
| Sivas | Above Average |
Energy consumption in agricultural irrigation is high in provinces such as Malatya, Elazığ, Bitlis and Sivas. This situation is related to the fact that the usable water potential here is low compared to the availability of agricultural land and the development of fruit growing. Garden facilities, especially those built on slopes, require the use of water and energy.
