Sustainable Climate Change Adaptations in Developing Countries: A Case Study of the Turkish Cypriot Community’s Adoption of Pomegranate Farming

Abstract

Climate change is a growing issue for developing countries, as they typically lack the technical and financial inputs to implement the necessary agricultural adaptations. These countries also suffer from the classic collective action problem; although they are able to identify the issue and a potential solution, their individual resources are not substantial enough to enact change. This article discusses north Cyprus' 2006 adoption of pomegranate production and its relationship to climate-related agricultural concerns. We argue that the Turkish Cypriot community would not have been able to start an effective pomegranate agribusiness without third-party financial and technical assistance. As a post-conflict developing community, they lacked the resources necessary to collectivize on their own and initiate crop switching. Thus, Turkish Cypriot farmers needed external resources in order to launch a sustainable development project. The programme was a successful example of sustainable peacebuilding as it required local ownership.