How should land reform be carried out?

In the Southeast and East  Anatolia, when seeking  the answer to the question, "How Should Land Reform Be Carried Out?" it can be said that there is a need to first examine two  issues.

The first is: In the specific context of Turkey, is it possible to increase agricultural production and efficiency by transforming the agricultural lands surrounding feudal villages into giant capitalist agricultural enterprises and/or corporate farming?    is it possible to increase agricultural production and efficiency?

The answer to this has become clear; as is the case in third-world countries, agricultural production per capita has not increased in Turkey either, and the country has clearly become an importer of agricultural products.

A second question, at least as important as the first, is this: with the liquidation of the peasantry, is there work in the cities for the peasants left unemployed in the East and Southeast? 

The answer to both questions  is clear. It is a negative trend. 

What is Land Reform  or the Right to Land Acquisition?

The fundamental and priority solution against corporate agriculture,  which is a product of global capitalism, is the right of peasants to acquire land; in other words, providing sufficient land through land reform to landless or small-scale farmers who wish to engage in farming. 

Land reform does not necessarily have to be radical. In developing countries, it can also be used to prevent socialist opposition in rural areas. Therefore, the outcome obtained from land reform varies according to the power of social classes and the course of the class struggle. 

As stated, land reform is a tool, and the question of whether it will be part of a capitalist or socialist order will depend on who controls this tool. The fundamental issue is the ownership of the means of production (individual or collective) and how the process of wealth distribution (such as private capital or social capital accumulation and the development of productive forces) will be structured. 

In this context, in the organization of land reform, “What will be produced, how it will be produced, and to whom and when the products will be sold” if decisions regarding these issues are made by capitalist government institutions, the majority of the profit obtained will go to the dominant agricultural industry sector. This is the land reform paradigm desired by the ruling classes. 

Land reform can be organized under different structures, ranging from family-based to collective ownership, depending on various factors (such as soil quality, crop variety, and market structure). 

For example, ownership can be family-based, while agricultural inputs and the evaluation of outputs can be carried out through cooperatives; ownership can be joint and production can be carried out collectively; or production can be conducted individually on one part of the land and collectively on another; or the entire property can be communal, with families producing for their own needs on a portion of the land. For the working classes, a good land reform will be successful if it can become a tool for a more egalitarian distribution of income. 

What kind of land reform?

Land reform must be initiated primarily in Southeastern and Eastern Anatolia.

For the financing of land reform;

• Providing funding by taxing wealthy farmers, and especially large landowners, at a progressive rate based on the amount of land they own,

• Encouraging the sale of large estates in other regions through tax measures,

• Providing credit to landless and small-scale producers so they can easily acquire land, and,

• To achieve this, it will be necessary to establish a "Land Authority". establish a "Land Authority".

The point that must be emphasized here is the necessity of working toward securing strong public support.

The land reform proposed in Turkey can be organized under different structures, ranging from family-based to collective ownership, depending on various factors such as soil quality, crop variety, and market structure.

As stated, land reform is a tool, and the question of whether it will be part of a capitalist or socialist order depends on who controls this tool.

For the working classes, a good land reform will be successful if it can be transformed into a vehicle for a more egalitarian distribution of income.

Based on land reform, cooperative organization should be used to enable peasants to become industrialists.

Land reform should certainly not be left  at the distribution  stage. 

It is also essential for these enterprises, which have a social dimension as they employ the agricultural population, to be organized into agricultural cooperatives.  mandatory

Farmers should be enabled to become industrialists through agricultural cooperatives. It must not be forgotten that  this is how the added value can reach the farmer. 

In line with this goal, cooperatives should be provided with inputs for agricultural production (such as fuel, electricity, fertilizer, pesticides, shared machinery pools, and the production of roughage and concentrated feed) and intermediate goods.  must be provided.

However, this is not enough. Necessary support should be provided for them to become industrialists in the processing of products  and to play a dominant role in matters such as marketing.  Necessary support should be provided.

The fact that if farmers organize under agricultural cooperatives, they have a chance at bargaining and competitive power when they enter the market against organized intermediaries and industrialists, should be taken into account. 

As I conclude my article, I would like to ask a question. Today, "Land Reform" is not on Turkey's agenda. Some say that political organizations seek the votes of landless and small-landholding peasants through  landlords.  I would like to know  your answer.