Willingness of farmers to establish a renewable energy (solar and wind) cooperative in NW Turkey

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate farmers’ desire to benefit from renewable energy (solar and wind) in northwestern provinces in Turkey. The willingness of farmers to establish a renewable energy cooperative was also investigated in this study. The relationships between the socioeconomic characteristics of the farmers and their willingness to establish a renewable energy cooperative were analyzed with the aid of nonparametric tests. According to Mann–Whitney U-test, farmers’ age, frequency of visits to agricultural organizations, internet use to reach information, land size, and the province where they live were effective on farmers’ willingness to establish a renewable energy cooperative. Additionally, 91.34% of the participant farmers were worried about climate change, and 70.84% were willing to receive training about climate change. Of the participant farmers, 65.88% were willing to establish a renewable energy cooperative. Extension programs should be organized by policymakers about renewable energy cooperatives, and such programs will provide significant public benefits.