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Grower holding harvested crop

24 June 2026 · 9 min

Is sustainable hazelnut farming possible?

Ageing orchards, climate change and the young farmer question; the steps securing the hazelnut's future.

Hazelnut growing is a culture handed down through generations on the Black Sea's slopes. Today that culture faces three structural problems: ageing orchards, climate variability and young people leaving agriculture. Sustainability means answering all three at once.

Climate pressure

Frost events during flowering and summer droughts have been the main cause of recent crop swings. Rising temperatures push the hazelnut belt to higher elevations. Adaptation is possible through frost early-warning systems, suitable variety selection and orchard management that preserves soil moisture.

Solar panel field in green landscape
Renewable energy in farming and processing shrinks the sector's carbon footprint.

Good agricultural practice

Informed fertilisation, integrated pest management and correct post-harvest drying raise both yield and quality. Certified good agricultural practice is becoming a precondition rather than a preference in export markets — and supporting growers through that transition is the buyer's responsibility too.

Keeping young farmers in the orchard requires fair prices, predictable income and access to modern agronomy. Koralla builds its grower partnerships on those three legs: a grower investing in their orchard is investing in the sector's future.

Green hazelnuts on the branch
Healthy orchards guarantee that the next generation can produce from the same soil.

Sustainable hazelnut farming is not a marketing headline; it is supply security itself. Every investment in the orchard today is the crop of a decade from now.