Turkish farmers sustain livelihoods through traditional agriculture

In Turkey, local farmers are sustaining their livelihoods through traditional agricultural methods. In Muş, Yücel and Filiz Levent have spent 11 years harvesting vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and zucchini from their 25-acre land. The produce is dried in the sun and sold at a roadside stall on the Muş-Erzurum highway, attracting customers from nearby villages as well as Turkish citizens living in Germany and France.

In Yozgat, Bektaş and Ümmügülsüm Uğurlu have maintained a 41-year family tradition of bulgur production. Using traditional methods, they process Sarı Bursa wheat in copper cauldrons over wood fires. The labor-intensive process involves boiling, sun-drying, and several stages of cleaning and sifting to produce bulgur and yarma. The couple aims to produce 10-12 tons this year, serving customers in nearby provinces and Ankara, as well as expatriates visiting the region.