Hindrances local organic farmers are facing in the Turkish organic agricultural sector : an attempt to identify barriers and suggest ways to eliminate them

Today, organic agriculture is considered a viable option to close the gap between commonly practiced agriculture and the goal of an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable agriculture. During the last 25 years, Turkey saw a first wave of conversion to organic farming practices, mainly...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Lehner, Matthias
Formato: H2
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: SLU/Dept. of Crop Production Ecology 2009
Materias:
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author Lehner, Matthias
author_browse Lehner, Matthias
author_facet Lehner, Matthias
author_sort Lehner, Matthias
collection Epsilon Archive for Student Projects
description Today, organic agriculture is considered a viable option to close the gap between commonly practiced agriculture and the goal of an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable agriculture. During the last 25 years, Turkey saw a first wave of conversion to organic farming practices, mainly spurred by demand from export markets. Due to exceptional natural conditions, foreign companies settled in the country to establish and supervise production for their home-markets in Europe, America or Japan. This thesis is aiming for clarity about the hindrances farmers may face on their way from conventional to organic farming in Turkey. In order to gain a thorough picture of the situation for farmers, consumers and other stakeholders in the Turkish organic sector, they were interviewed or asked to complete a questionnaire concerning their view on problems of-, and possible solutions for the organic farmers’ situation. The results of this research show a lack of coordination and trust among stakeholders. The top-down led organic sector is dominated by foreign production- and certification companies. Even though the Turkish Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Affairs is widely respected for its commitment to organic agriculture, the ministry’s expertise is put into doubt. Thereby a strong and clear leader for the development of the sector is difficult to pin-point for most actors. Unisonous, the development of the market (both export and domestic) is considered most important, ranked higher than additional governmental support. In respect to these findings, this thesis finishes with the conclusion that there is an urgent need for a more active grass-root movement. Such, it is reasoned, will help to move the spotlight of focus on the farmers’ situation. More than financial support, farmers need functioning support structures to guide them through the challenging conversion period and help with knowledge gathering and marketing.
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spelling RepoSLU6662018-10-09T10:39:15Z Hindrances local organic farmers are facing in the Turkish organic agricultural sector : an attempt to identify barriers and suggest ways to eliminate them Lehner, Matthias Organic Agriculture Turkey Stakeholder Analysis Rural Development Contract Farming Today, organic agriculture is considered a viable option to close the gap between commonly practiced agriculture and the goal of an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable agriculture. During the last 25 years, Turkey saw a first wave of conversion to organic farming practices, mainly spurred by demand from export markets. Due to exceptional natural conditions, foreign companies settled in the country to establish and supervise production for their home-markets in Europe, America or Japan. This thesis is aiming for clarity about the hindrances farmers may face on their way from conventional to organic farming in Turkey. In order to gain a thorough picture of the situation for farmers, consumers and other stakeholders in the Turkish organic sector, they were interviewed or asked to complete a questionnaire concerning their view on problems of-, and possible solutions for the organic farmers’ situation. The results of this research show a lack of coordination and trust among stakeholders. The top-down led organic sector is dominated by foreign production- and certification companies. Even though the Turkish Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Affairs is widely respected for its commitment to organic agriculture, the ministry’s expertise is put into doubt. Thereby a strong and clear leader for the development of the sector is difficult to pin-point for most actors. Unisonous, the development of the market (both export and domestic) is considered most important, ranked higher than additional governmental support. In respect to these findings, this thesis finishes with the conclusion that there is an urgent need for a more active grass-root movement. Such, it is reasoned, will help to move the spotlight of focus on the farmers’ situation. More than financial support, farmers need functioning support structures to guide them through the challenging conversion period and help with knowledge gathering and marketing. SLU/Dept. of Crop Production Ecology 2009 H2 eng https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/666/
spellingShingle Organic Agriculture
Turkey
Stakeholder Analysis
Rural Development
Contract Farming
Lehner, Matthias
Hindrances local organic farmers are facing in the Turkish organic agricultural sector : an attempt to identify barriers and suggest ways to eliminate them
title Hindrances local organic farmers are facing in the Turkish organic agricultural sector : an attempt to identify barriers and suggest ways to eliminate them
title_full Hindrances local organic farmers are facing in the Turkish organic agricultural sector : an attempt to identify barriers and suggest ways to eliminate them
title_fullStr Hindrances local organic farmers are facing in the Turkish organic agricultural sector : an attempt to identify barriers and suggest ways to eliminate them
title_full_unstemmed Hindrances local organic farmers are facing in the Turkish organic agricultural sector : an attempt to identify barriers and suggest ways to eliminate them
title_short Hindrances local organic farmers are facing in the Turkish organic agricultural sector : an attempt to identify barriers and suggest ways to eliminate them
title_sort hindrances local organic farmers are facing in the turkish organic agricultural sector : an attempt to identify barriers and suggest ways to eliminate them
topic Organic Agriculture
Turkey
Stakeholder Analysis
Rural Development
Contract Farming