Shepherds and farmers work in drought-stricken Anatolia - in pictures

In Karapinar, the site of Turkey's giant sinkholes, struggling farmers illegally tap into ground wells to sustain their crops and animals

A shepherd on horseback watches over his flock of sheep as they try to graze on drought-stricken land near the town of Karapinar, in Konya province, Central Anatolia, Turkey. All pictures Getty Images

In an aerial view, a shepherd leads his flock of sheep across parched grasslands in Karapinar, as they throw up a cloud of dust.

A shepherd seeks fresh pasture for his flock of sheep near Karapinar. Konya is Turkey's agricultural heartland and extreme drought conditions over the past two years have taken a heavy toll on farmers and the land.

Farmers Suleyman Kalkan, left, and Niyazi Ibrahimi feed sheep in a byre on their farm in Karapinar.

Livestock farmers in Konya recently held protests, blocking roads over a lack of water for their animals and for growing fodder.

Villagers have complained that sheep are struggling to eat dried up crops in the fields and that they have no fodder for their cattle.

Their plight is worsened as inflation, accelerating under the slump of the Turkish lira, makes feed imports more expensive.

Sheep throw up dust as they forage for shoots among withered grasslands. Lack of rain is forcing farmers to tap in to groundwater supplies, often with illegal wells.

A shepherd leads his flock of sheep across a bleak landscape. Farmers extracting groundwater have caused the water table to drop by two metres.

Shepherds watch over their flock of sheep on a parched plain. As underground water levels fall, this creates cavities into which surface material collapses, creating sinkholes.

Sheep scrabble for scraps of sustenance on dried up grassland, as a shepherd on horseback watches on.

A malakan dog stands at the entrance to a Karapinar farm, amid a parched landscape.

A shepherd leads his horse as he watches over his flock, in Karapinar. The ongoing drought and depletion of groundwater has raised concerns that farming may become unviable in parts of Konya.

More from The National:

Giant sinkholes dot the landscape in Turkey's Karapinar - in pictures

Turkey launches 'sea snot' clean-up to save Sea of Marmara

Potato farmers harvest at sunset in Kurdish region of Iraq - in pictures

Saudi Arabia to build 1.2km bridge to Red Sea island - in pictures