Farmers have been harvesting hazelnuts in the Pontic Hills region of Turkey for thousands of years and today they export more than $1 billion of the crop annually. More than half the world’s hazelnuts come from the region. Millions of people are involved in the industry and it is the backbone of the regional economy.
However, the system is broken and many of the farms are failing. Ninety-nine percent of hazelnut farms are less than 5 acres. There are 500,000 orchards in 10,000 villages. These farms are too small to fully support the families that own them, so the owners need to leave their homes to find work, only returning for harvest time. Since their farms are neglected most of the year, yields are falling and profits have dropped 30% over the past decade, creating an out-of-control spiraling problem for these families. Many are considering whether or not they can justify continuing to operate their farms.
Jeremy Welty started Full Harvest Agricultural Solutions to solve this problem. Jeremy and his team have developed a model that is saving small family farms. They evaluate candidate farms, identifying those that could be operated together more efficiently. They sign long-term leases with the owners to provide guaranteed income and often hire the owners to work their own land, providing year-round employment. They make investments in the orchards and patiently wait the years it takes to earn back a return on the investment. They are the only ones offering a turnkey solution that is saving these farms that have been in families for many generations. They bring in professional management, but also train the owners in new skills and modern techniques. Yields are tripling and quality is improving.