Despite all these significant developments, deficiencies in the implementation of the
legislation and insufficient supervision mean that the desired level of food safety in
Turkey has not been achieved.
When creating a food security policy, it is important to consider how to develop
the country’s agricultural sector and how its agricultural policies are implemented.
When asking for general information about the food security of a country, the four
pillars of food security should first be examined. When evaluating food security in
Turkey, it can be seen that agricultural production still remains a key part of
Turkey’s economy. Turkey’s food and agriculture industry is one of the country’s
largest sectors and also Turkey’s largest employer and a major contributor to its
GDP. It is responsible for 7.1% of the GDP and a quarter of the employment in the
country. The total number of people employed in the agricultural sector was 5.30 in
2016. With its developing and growing economy, young and dynamic population,
and strategic location in the world, Turkey has become one of the major countries in
the region. With respect to its climate and land nature, Turkey is suitable for the
production of various products (Pekcan, 2006: 160). Despite all this, it is expected
that the effects of climate change will cause significant changes in the unemployment ratio. Consequently, the economy of the country would be negatively affected
and food security would be threatened.
When observing agricultural policies in Turkey from a historical perspective, the
development in agricultural production was shaped by the different policy
approaches. The self-sufficiency policy in agriculture during the 1950s resulted in
an increase in production and productivity between the years 1960–1980. In the
1960s, the agriculture sector in Turkey entered a new era of mechanic technologies.
Towards the end of the 1980s, due to market liberalization trends at that time,
agriculture policies turned to a market-orientated structure. Market liberalization
also brought new migration movements from rural areas to big cities, which negatively affected rural development in the 1990s. The gradual decline of the share of
agriculture in the national income over the years may be seen as indicative of the
accumulation of a low-efficiency labour force in the agricultural sector (Ataç,
2011). Until the early 2000s, price supports for commodities complemented
trade-related measures (particularly tariffs) and farm input subsidies.
In 2001, the Agriculture Structural Reform Implementation Project (ARIP)
designed by the World Bank and the IMF was to be implemented. One of the aims
of ARIP was to thoroughly re-design Turkish agriculture (Karapınar et al., 2010).
According to the ARIP, the subsidy structure had to be changed into what then was
called a “direct income subsidy” (DIS). DIS is an important agricultural policy
applied as a tool to influence the level of income transfers to the target agricultural
producers from public sources. In July 2013, Turkey enacted the tenth development
plan for 2014–2018. The plan’s main objective for the agriculture sector was to
develop a globally competitive and environmentally friendly sector capable of
providing sufficient balanced nutrition to the population. Current challenges faced
in agriculture include small and fragmented agricultural businesses, insufficiencies
in market access and lack of extension and training services for farmers (Ministry of
Development, 2014). After these developments, The National Agriculture Project
132
S. İ. Gürsoy
legislation and insufficient supervision mean that the desired level of food safety in
Turkey has not been achieved.
When creating a food security policy, it is important to consider how to develop
the country’s agricultural sector and how its agricultural policies are implemented.
When asking for general information about the food security of a country, the four
pillars of food security should first be examined. When evaluating food security in
Turkey, it can be seen that agricultural production still remains a key part of
Turkey’s economy. Turkey’s food and agriculture industry is one of the country’s
largest sectors and also Turkey’s largest employer and a major contributor to its
GDP. It is responsible for 7.1% of the GDP and a quarter of the employment in the
country. The total number of people employed in the agricultural sector was 5.30 in
2016. With its developing and growing economy, young and dynamic population,
and strategic location in the world, Turkey has become one of the major countries in
the region. With respect to its climate and land nature, Turkey is suitable for the
production of various products (Pekcan, 2006: 160). Despite all this, it is expected
that the effects of climate change will cause significant changes in the unemployment ratio. Consequently, the economy of the country would be negatively affected
and food security would be threatened.
When observing agricultural policies in Turkey from a historical perspective, the
development in agricultural production was shaped by the different policy
approaches. The self-sufficiency policy in agriculture during the 1950s resulted in
an increase in production and productivity between the years 1960–1980. In the
1960s, the agriculture sector in Turkey entered a new era of mechanic technologies.
Towards the end of the 1980s, due to market liberalization trends at that time,
agriculture policies turned to a market-orientated structure. Market liberalization
also brought new migration movements from rural areas to big cities, which negatively affected rural development in the 1990s. The gradual decline of the share of
agriculture in the national income over the years may be seen as indicative of the
accumulation of a low-efficiency labour force in the agricultural sector (Ataç,
2011). Until the early 2000s, price supports for commodities complemented
trade-related measures (particularly tariffs) and farm input subsidies.
In 2001, the Agriculture Structural Reform Implementation Project (ARIP)
designed by the World Bank and the IMF was to be implemented. One of the aims
of ARIP was to thoroughly re-design Turkish agriculture (Karapınar et al., 2010).
According to the ARIP, the subsidy structure had to be changed into what then was
called a “direct income subsidy” (DIS). DIS is an important agricultural policy
applied as a tool to influence the level of income transfers to the target agricultural
producers from public sources. In July 2013, Turkey enacted the tenth development
plan for 2014–2018. The plan’s main objective for the agriculture sector was to
develop a globally competitive and environmentally friendly sector capable of
providing sufficient balanced nutrition to the population. Current challenges faced
in agriculture include small and fragmented agricultural businesses, insufficiencies
in market access and lack of extension and training services for farmers (Ministry of
Development, 2014). After these developments, The National Agriculture Project
132
S. İ. Gürsoy