Switch to Sustainable Organic Tea Cultivation in the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey

Abstract

Organic tea production is an arising issue in the last one decade in Turkey. The biggest actor in the tea sector CAYKUR initiated organic tea farming specially in Rize since 2007. But in all tea production areas in Turkey, namely the villages Rize, Trabzon, Artvin, Giresun and Ordu there are initial work about possible switch to organic tea farming. The biggest advantages of these villages are that chemicals are not applied against pests and diseases. With the switch from chemical fertilizers to organic fertilizers the way to organic tea farming can be initiated. Only a few research about the use of organic fertilizers in this tea plantation areas were initiated. In this study the changeover to sustainable organic tea production in Turkish tea plantations will be discussed. Keywords: tea, organic agriculture, sustainable agriculture DOI: 10.7176/JSTR/5-9-06