Hazelnuts, chestnuts, and truffles become a source of income for forest villagers

In the forested areas of Samsun, farmers are contributing to the economy by producing medical and aromatic plants, as well as collecting chestnuts, bay leaves, and truffles. Medical and aromatic plants are becoming a source of income for forest villagers. Samsun has 25,000 decares of bay leaf forests, with an annual production of approximately 1,500 tons, providing villagers with 27.5 million TL in income. There are also 40,000 decares of chestnut forests in Samsun. These forests produce around 400 tons, generating approximately 2.4 million TL for villagers. Additionally, 70 kilos of truffles are collected annually from inventoried areas in the forested regions of Havza, Kavak, and Çarşamba districts. These products serve as a source of income for forest villagers. The Forest Villagers Development and Support (ORKÖY) Project aims to prevent rural migration. In this context, Samsun provided a total credit support of 13 million 568 thousand TL to 29 families for dairy cattle, ...