A Turkish cotton farmer is boosting his income by inviting tourists to pick his crop.
Mustaka Ozturk’s alternative tourism earns him 30 Euros per tourist per week – some weeks he has welcomed around 500 visitors.
The farmer, who lives just outside the Mediterranean coastal resort of Antalya, has suffered from flooding after a dam was built nearly four years ago. His cotton crop was bringing him less than 2,000 Euros a year – so he turned to tourism to boost his income.
“The tourists want to experience something other than the beach and sun,” he said. Those who pick the most cotton are rewarded with a bottle of wine or a T-shirt.
