The project brings together expertise in political science, water resources engineering, climate science, and geography to explore how droughts, floods, and biodiversity loss affect agricultural workers’ livelihoods in Turkey and how new frameworks can inform sustainable development across the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
Congratulation Pinar! What does this seed funding mean for you and your team?
-This seed funding marks a major milestone for our team, enabling us to launch an interdisciplinary collaboration between three Strategic Research Areas (SRAs) at Lund University: The Middle East in the Contemporary World (MECW), Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a Changing Climate (BECC), and ModElling the Regional and Global Earth System (MERGE). While some of us have collaborated before, this is the first time the five of us are coming together in a joint project, which is very exciting. We are especially pleased to host the project within MECW, the only SRA based in the Faculty of Social Sciences. With this support, we are initiating a pilot study in Turkey, developing new frameworks to understand the impacts of climate change on agricultural livelihoods, and laying the groundwork for future large-scale funding applications.
Why did you choose Turkey as your case study, and what makes it particularly relevant?
-Our choice of Turkey stems from insights gained during our previous project, Climate Stress Syria, which ran from 2020 to 2023. That project explored the societal impacts of drought, vulnerability, and conflict in Syria. Through fieldwork and surveys conducted with former Syrian farmers who became seasonal agricultural workers in Turkey, in collaboration with Development Workshop Cooperative, we saw how the drought–migration–conflict nexus was also highly relevant in the Turkish context. Turkey’s rich agricultural production, increasing water stress, and exposure to extreme weather events make it an ideal case for studying the interconnected impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, and livelihoods.
How does the project combine different disciplines, and what do you expect to gain from this collaboration?
-This project is deeply interdisciplinary, as reflected in the way it brings together three distinct SRAs to work on a shared research agenda. It brings together political science, water resources engineering, climate science, and geography to address complex socio-ecological challenges. We combine quantitative methods like remote sensing and machine learning with qualitative approaches such as interviews and focus groups. This collaboration allows us to build a comprehensive framework that links climate change, biodiversity, and agricultural livelihoods, and to generate policy-relevant insights for sustainable development. We are confident that we will learn a great deal from our case study, and equally from each other—and that this collaboration will spark even more questions and research directions in the future.
What role does your external partner, Development Workshop Cooperative, play in the research?
-Development Workshop Cooperative is a non-profit social enterprise working in the fields of social justice, human rights, and development, with a particular focus on improving the living and working conditions of seasonal agricultural workers since 2004. Our collaboration with them began during the Climate Stress Syria project led by Lina Eklund, and it has led to impactful publications and novel empirical data1–3. In Extreme-Loss, Development Workshop Cooperative will be our local partner during fieldwork and data collection in Konya province, ensuring that our research is grounded in local realities and informed by community perspectives.
What methods will you use to study the link between extreme weather, biodiversity loss, and agricultural livelihoods?
-We’ll use a mixed-methods approach. Quantitatively, we’ll apply remote sensing and machine learning algorithms to analyze environmental changes, including land use and water availability. A key focus will be on underground water resources, which are increasingly stressed due to drought and over-extraction. By integrating hydrological data and satellite imagery, we aim to assess the availability and quality of freshwater ecosystems that are vital for agricultural production. Qualitatively, we’ll conduct in-depth interviews, focus groups, and fieldwork to understand how agricultural workers experience and respond to climate stress and biodiversity loss. These methods will complement each other and help us build a robust, multidimensional understanding of the issues.
How do you hope the project will contribute to global discussions on climate change and socio-environmental vulnerability?
-Our aim is to contribute new knowledge and frameworks that are relevant not only to Turkey but also to other regions facing similar socio-ecological challenges. By examining the intersection of climate change, biodiversity, and rural livelihoods, we hope to inform global discussions on vulnerability, migration, and water scarcity particularly in regions across the Middle East and the Mediterranean that are already experiencing the compounded effects of environmental degradation and political instability. Through this interdisciplinary collaboration, we seek to highlight the lived experiences of affected communities and offer insights that can support more inclusive and sustainable adaptation strategies.
What are your long-term goals after the seed funding period ends?
-Following the seed funding period, we plan to submit a major research proposals to international funding bodies such as Horizon Europe, FORMAS, and Biodiversa+. We also aim to publish at least one journal article based on our pilot study and expand our collaboration to include additional SRAs and researchers. Ultimately, our goal is to build a long-term research program that continues to explore and address the nexus of climate change, biodiversity, water resources, and vulnerable livelihoods. We are particularly excited about the potential to deepen our interdisciplinary work by engaging with even more colleagues across Lund University, fostering a broader institutional dialogue around socio-environmental challenges and sustainability.
Facts
Extreme-Loss – Seed Project
- Title: Agricultural Workers’ Livelihoods under Climate Change-Related Extreme Weather Events and Biodiversity Loss
- Duration: 2025–2027
- Funding: 2 MSEK Strategic Research Areas Seed Funding (Lund University)
- Lead researcher: Assoc. Prof. Pinar Dinc, Department of Political Science
- Co-applicants: Hossein Hashemi, Yann Clough, Lina Eklund, Natascha Kljun
- SRAs involved: MECW, BECC, and MERGE
- External partner: Development Workshop Cooperative, Turkey
- Case study: Konya province, Turkey – responsible for 10% of the country’s agricultural production
- Aim: To understand how droughts, floods, and biodiversity loss affect agricultural livelihoods, and to develop frameworks for sustainable adaptation