Mediterranean forest villages animal breeders and production system

With an area of 78 million hectares, Turkey has an ecologically rich diversity. Within this richness, forests, which cover 29.4% of the country's area, have an important place in terms of species and composition. Adana province has a total forest area of 752.339 ha, of which 496.698 ha is normally closed and 255.641 ha is closed with gaps. The main material of the study consists of primary data obtained from face-to-face interviews with 120 forest villagers engaged in animal husbandry in 18 forest villages of Adana province. Livestock breeding is widespread in forest villages, even if it does not occupy a very large place among livelihoods. 43%, 21% of the respondent’s state that they are engaged in animal husbandry continuously and 32% at variable times. In terms of animal type, 30% of the households have cattle, 60% have ovine, 30% have beehives and 95% have poultry. It is understood that livestock yields in the region are very low and losses due to breeding errors are very high. It is possible to increase the contribution from animal husbandry with on-site training and improvement practices to be provided to the people of this region.