Şemsi Bayraktar’s Message on Soil Day: The Importance of Protecting Our Lands

ANKARA – 16.06.2024 – Şemsi Bayraktar, President of the Turkish Union of Agricultural Chambers (TZOB), made a press statement on the occasion of Soil Festival. Bayraktar stated, “Protecting our soils is our most valuable heritage that we can pass on to future generations.”

In his statement, Bayraktar emphasized, “Soil, formed over centuries, is an invaluable treasure not only for our farmers but for all humanity, especially concerning our future. With this awareness, everyone, from 7 to 70, must strive to protect soil. Soil serves as the living skin of our planet, providing habitats for numerous living beings and being the breadwinner for our farmers.”

To highlight the importance of soil in Turkey, the ‘Farmers Land Law’ was accepted on June 11, 1945. This law was created to help landless farmers and their families to secure a livelihood and encourage them to acquire more land. The law numbered 4760, enacted in the same year, established that every year the first Sunday after the acceptance of the Farmers Land Law would be celebrated as Soil Festival.

Bayraktar pointed out that “the pressures on soil, which is one of life’s fundamental resources, are increasing due to factors like population growth, misuse, and careless industrialization. Unfortunately, we cannot say that we are adequately protecting our most significant wealth, which is our soils.”

“We have lost 2.6 million hectares of agricultural land in the last 20 years.”

Bayraktar highlighted that agricultural land in the country is decreasing every year, the rural youth population is declining, and farmers are reluctant to produce due to high costs. He noted that Turkey has a surface area of 78.35 million hectares, and the total area of land, including perennial crops, has decreased from 26.6 million hectares to 23.9 million hectares in the past 20 years, resulting in a loss of 2.6 million hectares of agricultural land nationwide.

In Konya, Ankara, Şanlıurfa, and Sivas, which are among the provinces with the most agricultural land, 1.8 million decares of agricultural land have decreased over the past decade. The decrease rates in these provinces were 7.9% in Şanlıurfa, 3.5% in Ankara, 1.8% in Sivas, and 1.4% in Konya.

In recent years, various efforts and laws have been introduced to revitalize idle agricultural lands and protect agricultural areas. The acreage of cultivated agricultural land, which was 23 million 99 thousand hectares in 2019, increased by 3.6% to 23 million 942 thousand hectares in 2023.

“Per capita land is decreasing with the growing population.”

According to research, although agricultural production areas have increased, this growth is inadequate compared to the rapidly growing population. With the rising population, the amount of land per capita is also declining. Statistics indicate that the per capita land area, which was 3.3 decares in 2010, fell to 3 decares in 2015 and currently stands at 2.8 decares. Therefore, unnecessary use of agricultural land must be strictly prohibited.

Opening fertile agricultural lands for urban development should never be allowed, nor should these areas be converted into industrial zones or cities. Inadequate agricultural irrigation, land fragmentation, and shared ownership are also hindering the utilization of fertile lands.

Agriculture is one of the most strategic sectors in our country, and the protection of agricultural lands is crucial for food security.

“The division of agricultural lands for hobby gardens must not be permitted.”

Bayraktar pointed out that farmers are still struggling with high costs and unresolved issues, adding that the rise of hobby gardens on agricultural land exacerbates these problems. He stressed that the land, which is the livelihood of farmers, should not be wasted on hobby gardens.

In metropolitan areas, the conversion of productive agricultural lands into hobby gardens through cooperatives exacerbates the issue of land fragmentation. The division of lands into small parcels for hobby gardens and the inappropriate construction in these areas are detrimental to agricultural soils.

The size and integrity of agricultural lands are vital for efficiency in agricultural production. Any division of agricultural lands or construction for hobby gardens is inappropriate. The fragmentation of agricultural lands is prohibited under the Soil Protection and Land Use Law, yet the increase of hobby gardens indicates inadequate oversight.

Bayraktar expressed his hope for a day when the value of fertile soils is recognized, and respect is shown to land managers, while wishing everyone a joyful Soil Festival. He noted that this year’s Soil Festival coincides with the Eid al-Adha, extending his greetings to all citizens, especially farmers, wishing them a holiday filled with unity and togetherness.