Mustafa GENÇ

Sakarya Commodity Exchange

Chairman of the Board

“Planning the Future with Youth in the Agricultural Sector: Policies and Strategies”
Agriculture is one of the oldest and most important sectors in human history. However, the decrease in interest and participation in agriculture among young people today is a worrying situation for our future.

The agricultural sector not only produces food, but also has the potential to create employment, contribute to economic growth and significantly support the development of rural areas. However, agriculture is one of the sectors with a bright future, although it is full of difficulties. For this reason, we need to attract young generations to the agricultural sector and correctly explain the opportunities in this field.

We should start instilling interest and love in agriculture in our children in primary school, and teach them the value of production, the power of agriculture and the importance of agriculture in future planning from an early age. We should organize more lessons and events in schools on the basic principles and practices of agriculture. We should attract the attention of young people by presenting examples from various areas of agriculture. We should also show young people that agriculture is a modern sector by emphasizing that it is combined with technology and innovations.

Increasing urbanization and digitalization are alienating young people from agriculture. Therefore, instead of criticizing and saying, “Oh, why aren’t these young people interested in agriculture?” we should think about how young people can get interested in agriculture. We should make an effort to change this situation. We should save young people from technology addiction, instill awareness of agriculture and nature, and raise awareness about healthy nutrition. In addition to agriculture-based learning and experiences in schools, we should also organize applied education programs such as agricultural schools, agricultural internships, and farm visits. We should introduce young people to the practical aspects of agriculture and ensure that they gain experience working with the soil.

In addition to correctly explaining the potential and opportunities that the agricultural sector carries for young people, we should also emphasize entrepreneurship opportunities. We should provide support to young people to establish their own agricultural enterprises and encourage them with grants and incentive programs. At the same time, we should encourage the use of technology and innovation in agriculture, and support young entrepreneurs in this field to ensure that innovative solutions emerge.

In order to make rural areas more livable in the agricultural sector, we should implement village return projects. We should make improvements in infrastructure development, health services, and educational opportunities in rural areas, and show young people the appeal of rural life. At the same time, we should encourage modern agricultural techniques and sustainable practices to make the agricultural sector more attractive.

We should plan the future of agriculture together with young people by developing the right policies and strategies, without forgetting that young people will shape the future of agriculture. In this way, young people can participate in the production process, establish their own businesses, develop innovative solutions and shape the agriculture of the future.

No matter what position we are in, no matter what job we do, we should create our own heirs. Always remembering the importance and contribution of young people in the agricultural sector, we should increase the number of young people who contribute to the national economy and production by cultivating our country's lands and support them to write their own success stories.