Home to countless civilizations, Central Anatolia has always been an important agricultural center throughout history. The fact that the region is still referred to as Turkey's "granary" points to this historical role.
Since Central Anatolia is surrounded by high mountains, the humid temperate air of the seas cannot enter the region. For this reason, the region has a continental climate with hot and dry summers and cold and snowy winters. As you move towards the east, continentality increases due to the increase in altitude and winter temperatures reach very low values. Central Anatolia is also the region with the lowest rainfall in Turkey (400 mm on average). Precipitation usually falls in the form of showers in spring. The early onset of drought in summer has a negative impact especially on vegetable agriculture. The natural vegetation cover of the region is steppe; forests account for a very low 7%.
Among the crops grown in the Central Anatolia Region, cereals, wheat and barley are the leading crops. Both plants, which have an important place in both human nutrition and animal husbandry in our country, make a significant contribution to the economy. Turkey produces 19 million tons of wheat on approximately 8 million hectares of land. The wheat cultivation area in Central Anatolia is around 3 million hectares. The provinces of Konya, Ankara, Sivas, Yozgat and Çorum cover 25% of the country's wheat cultivation area, while Konya alone covers about 10%.
Although the Central Anatolia Region has a favorable climate for both bread and durum wheat production, irrigation facilities are very limited and production is generally carried out as dry farming. In addition to the lack of rainfall in the region, the irregular distribution of rainfall by months also has a negative impact on wheat production.
On the other hand, the presence of many public and private sector organizations producing certified seeds in the region creates an advantage for wheat growers to achieve higher yields. In addition, the presence of three major institutions dealing with wheat breeding and breeding, such as the Central Research Institute of Field Crops in Ankara, Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute in Konya, and Anatolian Agricultural Research Institute in Eskişehir, and three advanced agricultural faculties contribute positively to the development of agriculture in the region.