Isn't deep poverty a result of the erosion of rural areas?

The Deep Poverty Network has issued a press release for October 17, the 'International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.' The statement noted that the United Nations is far behind its 2030 goals for combating poverty, and that over 750 million people worldwide are facing hunger, while 808 million people

WHAT IS THE STATE OF DEEP POVERTY IN TURKEY?

As for Turkey, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute's 2024 Poverty and Living Conditions statistics, the rate of those at risk of poverty  or social exclusion  is 29 percent. In other words, in our country of 85 million people, the number of poor is 25 million.

In a study conducted by the Deep Poverty Network with 108 poor families living in Istanbul, the following results were highlighted: 

• Out of 108 households, 22 children have dropped out of formal education due to poverty,  due to poverty, 

• 91 out of 108 households send their children to school with meals, and 93 households struggle to cover school expenses,

• 71 households have experienced at least one electricity, water,  or natural gas disconnection in the last two years,

• 84 households live in fear of homelessness because they struggle to pay their rent.

• 51 households have moved more than once because they could not pay their rent,

• 93 households struggle to cover medication and healthcare expenses,

• 97 households are facing problems stemming from the inability to access  multiple basic needs.  have remained

•And they are trying to live with many other problems  besides these

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF GLOBAL CAPITALISM IN THE ORIGIN OF DEEP POVERTY?

 The destructive effects of global capitalism are felt most acutely in peripheral countries. Through policies labeled as globalization, global capitalism has placed these peripheral countries in an economic, social, and political vice. However, these policies are polished and hidden, while the idea that technology and prosperity can be shared more equitably is being instilled in people's minds.

Moreover, global capitalism has also created crises in central countries. Unemployment is rising, and income distribution is becoming severely distorted. In some cases, to emerge from the crisis in these countries, the state intervenes in the economy; or more accurately, resources collected from the masses under the name of taxes are used to bail out monopolistic corporations. 

HOW HAVE THE DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL CAPITALISM REFLECTED ON THE RURAL SECTOR?

In my opinion, one of those who expresses the destructive effects of global capitalism most competently is  Samir Amin has passed away. Amin was an intellectual who showed us that the obvious does not require a guide, and that industrial agriculture created by capitalism, beyond destroying the peasantry, is insufficient to feed humanity and provide employment.

Amin made very important observations regarding how capitalism dispossesses billions of people of their land, impoverishes them, destroys the environment, and prevents people from accessing basic food items, drawing the world's attention to these issues.

In this context, he asked: 'Is it possible to increase production and efficiency through the model of contract farming and giant enterprises encouraged to replace small and medium-sized businesses, primarily through the liquidation of the peasantry in Third World countries?'

His answers to the questions, 'Is there work in the cities for the approximately three billion people who will be left destitute by the liquidation of the peasantry?' were very realistic.

 In his book 'Peasant and Worker Struggles in the Face of 21st Century Challenges' (2008, Özgür Üniversite Publications), Amin answers this question as follows: 

 “...Even if a visionary hypothesis such as a continuous 7 percent annual growth rate were to be realized (globally) over a fifty-year period, it would not be able to absorb even one-third of this reserve (that is, the three billion people coming to the cities).” 

In other words, by its very nature, capitalism cannot solve the peasant problem, and the only perspective it offers is a world of shantytowns and five billion surplus people.”

 Patriotic economist Korkut Boratav also says the following about Amin's view in an article: 'I think this disaster scenario should be taken into account, even if it seems exaggerated at first glance. However, it should be remembered that for such a transformation to occur, three prerequisites must be completed in Third World agriculture: full opening to imports of metropolitan agricultural products supported by extraordinary subsidies; ending all support and public interventions in national agricultural markets; and unlimited commodification of agricultural land, that is, freedom of purchase and sale for foreign capital as well.'

Does the deep poverty we are experiencing not demonstrate the accuracy of Samir Amin's prediction?

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE RURAL SECTOR IN TURKEY WAS ERODED UNDER THE GRIP OF GLOBAL CAPITALISM?

• More than three times the agricultural land of the Thrace region has been lost.

• The share of agriculture in employment, which was 25.5 percent in 2005, fell to 15 percent in the second quarter of 2024.

• Farmers' debt has increased 187-fold compared to the beginning of the 2000s.

• Farmers have aged.

• Agricultural production per capita has declined.

• As agricultural production per capita declined, there was an explosion in agricultural product imports. 

For example, while Turkey's agricultural exports amounted to 261.9 billion dollars in 2024, imports reached 344.2 billion dollars. These figures point to a trade deficit of 82.2 billion dollars and only  an export coverage ratio of 76.1 percent.

Ultimately, Turkey has lost its food sovereignty. It has become dependent on imports, particularly for agricultural products that meet needs for protein (red meat, milk, etc.), energy (grains, oilseeds, etc.), and clothing (primarily cotton and industrial crops, leather, wool, etc.).

Let us not lose hope; in Turkey, the number of people, platforms, and organizations  that protect their land, environment, and agriculture is steadily increasing, meetings are being organized, and potential solutions are being opened for discussion.

 One of these meetings was  held by the Social Democracy Association (SDD) İzmir Branch as part of the October 16 World Food Day  under the title "Agriculture-Food and Poverty"  at the Türkan Saylan Cultural Center  in the form of a panel.

  At the panel, Cengiz Onur, President of the Social Democracy Association's İzmir Branch, stated that societies disconnected from production are in danger and pointed out that food sovereignty is directly related to democracy. 

 Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kaymakçı, Prof. Dr. Yaşar Uysal, and Social Democracy Association Chairman Sami Doğan participated as speakers  in the panel.

(See:https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/cumhuriyet-in-egesi/gida-krizi-ve-tarimin-sorunlari-izmir-de-masaya-yatirildi-2444217 )