The summer of 2024 has made the difficulties faced by farmers and the agricultural sector in Turkey more visible. Farmers all over the country have tried to make their voices heard through protests; Apricot producers in Malatya, tomato growers in Balıkesir, sunflower producers in Tekirdağ, pepper and tomato producers in Kahramanmaraş have blocked the roads with their tractors due to prices below their costs and tried to make their voices heard through protests. As a result of the depletion of water resources in Çukurova, farmers were sent an official letter, telling them not to plant in the fall. it was said. On the other hand, the gap between the price of agricultural products at farmers' prices and at the market has widened: Last fall, producers were uprooting their trees with excavators because not even 1 lira was paid for a kilo of lemon on the branch, while in the summer months, lemons cost 100 lira per kilo in the grocery store and market. found.

With the problems experienced, the number of farmers is decreasing and the areas where agricultural production is carried out are shrinking day by day. In 2011, the agricultural sector accounted for XNUMX% of total employment.While creating 24,8% This rate will increase in June 2024 dropped to 14,7%While total employment has increased by 2011 million since 9, the number of people working in the agricultural sector has decreased by 1 million, falling to 4 million 801 thousand. Agricultural areas, which were 2002 million 26 thousand hectares in 579, will increase to 2010 million 24 thousand hectares in 394 and 2023 million 23 thousand hectares in 971. fell.

As the population continues to increase, the decrease in employment in agriculture and agricultural production areas is causing the food security problem to deepen. Agricultural economist Dr. Fatih Özden states that “from a developmental perspective, although the decrease in the population working in agriculture is expected as a result of the economic development of countries, when we look at the historical process, this process, which progresses with economic development, is often experienced with force and accompanied by socio-economic pain and difficulties.”

Dr. Özden states that agricultural lands are being expropriated, and more recently, taken out of agriculture through urgent expropriation decisions or reserve area declarations, which are frequently observed in earthquake zones, due to reasons such as urbanization and industrial investments, especially energy, and adds:

“With the Metropolitan Municipality Law that went into effect in 2013, villages turning into neighborhoods increased the rent pressure on agricultural lands. As agricultural lands became easier to convert into plots, land prices increased dramatically. This situation inevitably leads many farmers to sell lands to earn income that they would not have been able to earn for decades in return for their labor. As a result of all this, Turkey has lost 2002 million hectares of agricultural lands since 2,6 and continues to lose. In addition to this loss in quantity, there is also a loss of quality in agricultural lands due to industrial agricultural practices based on excessive chemical use. For example, approximately half of the total pesticides used in Turkey are used in the 10 provinces where agricultural production activities are most intensive. When we include factors such as climate change and erosion, the picture regarding the loss of agricultural lands becomes even darker.”

Farmers Cannot Afford Costs

The increase in inflation, which is the reason for farmer protests as well as land losses, shows that the situation is unsustainable for both producers and consumers. While the costs of basic inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and fuel are constantly increasing, the income the farmer earns cannot cover these costs. For this reason, the farmer begins to resent his land and eventually gives up on agriculture!

Rising prices, also influenced by intermediaries, are causing consumers to suffer. According to Dr. Fatih Özden, the primary reason for farmers’ purchasing prices not covering their costs and the resulting losses is “the disconnection of product prices from costs and pricing being determined more based on world prices.” This situation may be a sign of a food crisis for Turkey in the coming years.

Dr. Fatih Özden says that as a result of farmers leaving agriculture, companies have started to fill this gap today: “We see that capital, which was incorporated into agriculture in the input supply or product processing stages, especially until the end of the 90s, is now directly involved in production processes or indirectly involved in practices such as contract farming. However, as is the case all over the world, the guarantor of food security in our country is the farmers who traditionally inherited this business from their families, and it is not fair for these farmers to be put in such a competitive environment with companies.”

Climate Crisis Deepens Food Crisis

Another challenge for farmers to continue production is the climate crisis. The main negative impact of the climate crisis in Turkey is drought. This summer, as water has decreased in Çukurova, one of the most fertile plains in Turkey, the Seyhan Left Bank Irrigation Union sent a letter to the village headmen and relevant units asking them not to do any autumn planting and that no water would be provided if it was done. reported.

Along with drought, irregular and excessive rainfall also negatively affects agricultural production. Irregular rainfall and sudden temperature fluctuations in particular cause losses in production. Analyses conducted within the scope of the Climate-Friendly Farms project, jointly conducted by the Buğday Ecological Life Support Association and Köy-Koop İzmir, reveal that seasonal fluctuations cause serious product losses, and that there is an increase in pests in agricultural areas, especially due to the warmer than normal winter months. Arzu Balkuv, one of the project consultants, says, “It is becoming increasingly difficult to cope with pests, and we see that moths can destroy all tomatoes in three days.” Organic agriculture producer Şaban Burhan also emphasizes the negative effects of the decrease in snowfall, especially drought, and says that while conventional tomato producers in the Karacabey plain normally get 10-18 tons of product, this summer they have stayed at 5-6 tons.

Solution: Transition to Agroecological Methods

In order to produce solutions to existing problems, economic, ecological and social policies need to be re-evaluated with a holistic approach. Climate-friendly agricultural policies, agroecological production, local production and consumption models, farmers' organization, solidarity economies and gender equality-based approaches should be implemented to ensure the sustainability of agriculture.

In order to adapt to climate change, agriculture methods compatible with nature play a critical role. A transition to agroecological, restorative methods is needed for agricultural production that is more resistant to drought, diseases and changing climate conditions.

Regenerative farming methods enrich the soil, increase its water holding capacity, and therefore make plants resistant to drought, diseases and pests. Reducing inputs reduces costs, which is reflected in farmers’ income. Local producer markets, food communities, consumer cooperatives, and Community Supported Agriculture methods facilitate both farmers’ access to markets and consumers’ access to healthy food. We need to promote ecological, healthy, fair and sustainable farming practices by providing farmers with regenerative farming training and support for marketing their products.

Local production and consumption models that focus on small farmers, rural workers and consumers instead of companies and directly include them in the control processes of the agri-food system should be urgently implemented.

Agricultural lands must be protected in both quantity and quality. A fair property relationship must be established on these lands. Instead of chemicals that make the soil lifeless and prone to erosion, the quality of agricultural lands must be protected by switching to nature-friendly, restorative agroecological production methods.

As Buğday Association, we provide training to farmers on sustainable, regenerative agriculture methods with the systems, models and projects we carry out all around Turkey, create models for them to find markets for their products, carry out “productive” trainings with the awareness that healthy production can only be maintained by establishing a producer-consumer bond, and run an ecological farm visit program.

Source: HORECA TREND and Wheat Ecological Life Support Association