An economic analysis and evaluation of carrot cultivation in Beypazari district of Ankara province in terms of environmental sustainability

The population of world continues to grow steadily. However, increasing agricultural production and productivity at the same rate is not feasible. The escalating environmental issues caused by climate change, worldwide pandemics and a growing awareness of food security and supply have once again highlighted the significance of agriculture as a fundamental sector in the national economy. Carrots plays an important role in the production of fresh vegetables which hold an essential place in providing for human health and basic dietary reqiuerements. The research material is derived from data acquired through in-person surveys conducted with 96 producers engaged in carrot cultivation within the Beypazarı District of Ankara Province. In the conducted study, the perspective of carrot producers regarding the conservation of natural resources and sustainability has been eluciated through the utilization of factor analysis. The aim of this research is to calculate the cost of 1 kg of carrots in carrot cultivation in the Beypazarı District of Ankara Province, conduct a gross and net profit analysis, measure the level of knowledge among producers about environmental issues in which sustainable agriculture is directly involved, and create awareness. As a result of the study, the cost of one kilogram of carrots was calculated as 5,33 TL/kg, the net profit of one kilogram of carrots was 1,42 TL/kg, the gross production value was 44.261,72 TL/da, the gross profit was 13.735,20 TL/da, the net profit was 9.309,11 TL/da, and the relative profit was calculated as 1,27. The high input costs and the inability to establish sufficient competitive conditions in the sales and marketing sector lead to a high cost and low net profit for the product. This situation is observed to have a negative impact on sustainability in production. Keywords: Carrot Cultivation, Carrot Cost Analysis, Agricultural Sustainability, Environmental Sensitivity, Beypazarı