Spotlight on Turkey Agriculture
by Sustainfinance (Kübra Koldemir, Ayse Kasikci, İlkay Demirdag)
In July, TTI Istanbul ambassador: Ilkay Dermidag, hosted a Top Tier Impact Agriculture Roundtable Dinner. The roundtable, titled “Agriculture in Turkey”, was held with valuable participants and incorporated a discussion on the current issues of agriculture in Turkey as well as practical and sustainable solutions to the present problems.
In this report, some general conclusions on concerns related to agriculture are discussed, including issues related to the efficient use of too many unorganized ideas, lack of skilled human resources, and technological integration. Additionally, the participants discussed how to develop the entrepreneurship ecosystem of Turkey to promote agricultural R&D and innovation. Finally; as suggestions for the transition to a sustainable agriculture roadmap were being evaluated, practical solutions including innovative agriculture, data, and human capital, came to light.
The pressing issues
What are the most critical problems you have observed in the agricultural sector in Turkey?
There are issues related to the efficient use of too many unorganized ideas, lack of skilled human resources, and technological integration. Traditional approaches and knowledge and lack of governance are among the most critical factors affecting the productivity of agriculture.
Since there is no regular planning and efficient use of human resources, it has been evaluated that both the costs have increased, the number of people who want to work on their land has decreased, and there is not a sufficient level of budget, support, incentive, taxation system to combat all these.
The main problem is a lack of will or motivation to take action and implement solutions. It was stated that it would not be correct to link this issue only to the public entities and the government. This lack of motivation was also present in all institutions and individuals.
There are severe concerns for stakeholders in communicating with each other; co-operatives, for example, cannot come together and organize themselves in Turkey; hence, the planning and step-by-step work is either interrupted or not done correctly. It was further explained that this situation is happening despite an earnest effort and knowledge being put into various projects. In sum, control mechanisms and governance are inadequate, and we have a trust problem at the centre of everything.
The pollution at the Sea of Marmara was cited as an obvious example. Everyone knows about it, but proper solutions are not being provided. Agriculture and pollution at the Marmara Sea are interconnected; one issue is that the soil in most farming areas is under an excessive load of nitrogen, phosphorus, and nitrate. Similarly, it was emphasized that biodiversity was lost due to climate change.
Training qualified people also remained among the main problems. Participants shared their views on how this situation hinders product development because an insufficient number of talented people were being trained within the private sector or the Turkish national education system. In addition, systems thinking and the implication of this in agriculture are emphasized as one of the focus areas for training.
Indeed, business life has transformed; in the past, to be a successful employee, it used to be sufficient to be an expert in a subject matter. Now many additional competencies are required and mandatory, including deep knowledge of digital transformation.
Another issue is that production in plant agriculture does not have enough support mechanism systems– only 5 percent of the subsidy budget is available for plant agriculture – for example, a small farmer does not have a regular income and cannot do proper planning. There are no regulatory laws in the system and no appropriate training to support the agriculture of plant-based products.
We are faced with a significant loss, both financial and timewise. It was pointed out that sustainable agriculture is the foundation of a sustainable food system. Working towards sustainable agriculture and food production is a strategic and national issue and an indispensable condition to move forward.
It is vital to highlight innovative agriculture, data, and human capital. It was stated that as digitalization and integration increase, it would be possible to transition to a food system that is more sustainable. Then resources will be used more effectively and sufficient for the next generation.
It was essential to increase the welfare of village residents in the region by raising their awareness of the climate impact of their agricultural activities. We should transition to protect the principles of permaculture and regenerative ecosystems. We should ensure the implementation of waste-free, minimalist production techniques and encourage young entrepreneurs to be called for this duty.
Nevzat Özer from the TEMA Foundation was cited during the roundtable mentioning issues caused by inappropriate land use and inappropriate agricultural techniques: "Turkey loses 1 millimeter of soil every year, and 1 centimeter in 10 years. For a one-centimeter-thick soil layer to form again takes at least 300 to 1000 years.”
As the climate changes, agriculture and land approaches should also change. We may have managed to farm for 10 thousand years, but the climate will not be the same for the next 10 thousand years.
Combining entrepreneurship and agriculture
How can Turkey's entrepreneurship ecosystem be developed in agricultural R&D and innovative agriculture?
Participants discussed how we find ourselves in an era where the new “fertilizer” of agriculture is data - we can now monitor agricultural areas simultaneously with satellites these days. Therefore, an infrastructure should be urgently built to integrate more technology into the field.
Moreover, there is an issue with funding and subsidies for the agricultural sector in Turkey. The budget share allocated to R&D in Turkey is 0.96, and only 3% of this share is given to agriculture (OECD average is 2, EU average is between 1.98-2). Although Turkey is at the forefront of plant and animal
production, for 50% rate of financial support provided within the European Union to agriculture - in Turkey, this rate was mentioned to be only 5%.
Remarkably, only 15% of the 150 unicorns in the world's sphere of influence are in agriculture. Therefore, a clear definition of processes and outputs and climate-friendly agricultural policies for each region should be matched with sustainable food practices. It was emphasized that real incentives should be established and not remain only on paper. Funds should be directed to where they are needed and reach the users.
We need a transition to new ways of doing sustainable and regenerative agriculture. This should also lead to reverse migration. There was an emphasis on the importance of attracting young people back to villages as new living spaces and, therefore, also protecting the older adults who had been left behind. Projects integrating farmers, entrepreneurs, financial institutions, corporations, and academia must be developed for the transition.
Although, as per law, many pesticide types have been banned, it is still common to use them due to habits. Therefore, it was recommended we go through a complete mindset transition, including thought processes, practices, values, loyalty to the land, etc.
Future trajectory
What are your suggestions for transitioning to a sustainable agriculture roadmap?
Conclusions
What were the final conclusions of the discussion?
• New climate-resistant species and breeds should be studied
• The transition to soilless agriculture and geothermal energy should be accelerated in regions not suitable for agriculture
• Certain agricultural areas should be left to rest from time to time
• Water adequacy should be determined depending on the region, and agricultural patterns should be created accordingly
• More technology should be integrated into the field
• Entrepreneurs should be prevented from being pushed out by the system
• Producer associations should be revived
• The establishment of cooperatives should be supported
• Systematic support should be offered to entrepreneurs and farmers
• Initiatives for structural and regional problems should be seen, announced, and good examples shared and disseminated
• Activities should be organized routinely to diversify, strengthen and inspire initiatives and make healthy, nutritious, and clean food accessible and affordable
