The role of greenhousing and geothermal sources in rural development: The case of Ağrı province Di̇yadi̇n district

In this study the effects of geothermal sources that are important touristic and economic resources in Ağrı province, Diyadin district will be tackled. By taking into consideration other examples in Turkey, the use of geothermal sources in greenhousing will be touched upon within the context of rural development of the province and district. As it is known, rural development is one of the elements of economy that have been emphasized in five year plans recently. The main purpose in rural development is boosting local economies and revealing their potential. For this purpose, the Ministry of Agriculture being in the first place, many institution like the Ministry of Development, Regional Development Agencies, TKDK (The Institution of Agricultural and Rural Development) carry out works based on rural developments. In the study, although the other examples in Turkey are evaluated there will be a more local perspective. Ağrı Province, Diyadin District will be the main sample. Nevertheless, the academical studies in the same vein were used as referecences after being analysed. The academic studies conducted in this field (boks, articles, dissertations) wil constitute the primary sources for this thesis. Within this framework, a survey of literature will be conducted by carefully examining data bases and the Higher Education National Thesis Center. Also, the data of Diyadin Tarım A.Ş and Diyadin Jeotermal A.Ş which currently operate in Diyadin will be used. Despite the fact that the geothermal sources have been subject of academc studies before, the economic and commercial dimensions of the subject have not been analyzed yet. Especially, in the last few years thanks to heating with thermal waters set up by the private sector the tomato production has been realized under harsh climate conditions and those products have gained an important place in the local market. This can be regarded as a significant economic output. It is being planned to get similar results for other agricultural products in the forthcoming years and within this framework larger enterprises are being evaluated. Thanks to this, in the district the employment develops and local economic outcomes arise. It is possible to use geothermal energy efficiently not only in agriculture but also in energy production, house heating ve other fields. In this study I will discuss the current situation and its potential in rural development. Key Words: Rural Development, Greenhousing, Geothermal Sources, Ağrı, Diyadin.