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.