In Erzurum’s Otlu district the Directorate of Food Agriculture and Livestock has put the ‘Renewable Solar Energy Greenhouse Vegetable Project’ into practice. As part of the project, 25 greenhouse growers have completed training.
Otlu’s Food Agriculture and Livestock manager Murat Yilmaz stated that the Northeast Anatolia Development Agency funded the cost of the project which amounted to almost €20,000. The aim of the project is to increase the use of renewable solar energy in the region, Yilmaz reports, “Our directorate has established two greenhouses. The heating systems for these greenhouses works with 7 solar panels. The system stores the sun's energy from the day, and heats the greenhouse at night with a temperature controlled system. This system is not designed for production in the winter. Our aim is to protect plants from differences in temperature between day and night and from drops in temperature at night especially in early spring and in autumn. In this way, we can plant at least a month earlier, and work a month later in autumn, extending our season by two months.”
As Turkey’s fourth largest city, there are a variety of climates in Erzurum; the directorate aims to enable farmers to earn more with alternative agriculture techniques and intensive farming. The ‘Renewable Solar Energy Greenhouse Vegetable Project’ was a first of its kind in the region and it taught 25 farmers how to use modern, technical and renewable energy sources in their own greenhouses.
The project raised awareness of renewable energy and those involved in it believe that it will become more prominent in the district in the future. “Tomato and cucumber in our region, due to the climate, arrive in June. In the region’s first growing season, there is an abundance of products on the market. Therefore, the growers cannot sell the product for the value of growing it. The project will be able to extend the season both at the beginning and end, which should mean the market price is less affected and there is the possibility for a second cropping,” concluded Osman Akar, manager of the District Food, Agriculture and Livestock chamber.
Source: cihan.com
