Atatürk continues to shed light on modern agriculture

On this November 10th, as we commemorate Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who led the transformation of our nation from subjects into equal citizens, I remember him with feelings of love, respect, and longing  as he is laid to rest in eternity.

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The greatness of leaders  cannot be measured solely by the successes and transformations they achieved during their lifetimes.

Their greatness is also measured by their ability to plan for the future and shed light upon it. The reason Mustafa Kemal Atatürk remains relevant today and in the future stems from his possession of these  qualities.

In this context, one of the most important issues he emphasized, "The Basis of the National Economy is Agriculture" was his agricultural practices and guidance aimed at feeding and clothing a hungry nation, transferring resources to industry, and supporting the peasants—in other words, those engaged in farming through small and medium-sized enterprises—who made up the vast majority of the population.   those engaged in farming  through his agricultural practices and guidance.

In this article, I will briefly attempt to summarize  the principles of the Republic's Agricultural Policy under Atatürk's leadership, specifically the "Land Reform to make farmers landowners" and  “Providing guidance for the organization and cooperativization of farmers.” Atatürk's prioritization of these two issues was a result of his deep understanding of the peasants, who formed the backbone of the Turkish nation at that time and whom he stood alongside on the battlefronts.  the peasants he stood alongside on the battlefronts  was a result of his deep analysis.

However, first, “Turkey, Peasantry, and the State of Agriculture in the Early Years of the Republic”is worth taking a look at.

Turkey, Peasantry, and the State of Agriculture in the Early Years of the Republic

•  Total Population: 13.6 million, Rural Population: 10.3 million
• Half of our population is ill, three million people suffer from trachoma
• Unjust land distribution: 5% of families own 65% of the land
• Agricultural techniques are extremely backward, the number of technical personnel is very low
• Fertilizer use and pest control are almost non-existent
• Fallow land is dominant, sowing is done by hand
• Agricultural production is unable to feed the public
• Industrial products are imported, the country has become an open market for Europe. Only 7% of the public (men) are literate
• The peasantry is uneducated, there is only one university
• Gender equality is not even a topic of discussion

Principles of the Republic's Agricultural Policy  under Atatürk's Leadership

• Land Reform to make farmers landowners
• Providing guidance for the organization and cooperativization of farmers
• Educating farmers, establishing model agricultural enterprises, opening research stations and institutes to produce seeds and breeding stock, and securing state support for agriculture through legislation
• Introducing new technologies to agriculture to achieve abundant, high-quality, and low-cost production.

Atatürk Sheds Light on Land Reform.

Atatürk knew that for peasants to improve their lives, they needed to own land. It is possible to list some of his speeches on this goal as follows:

• “The establishment of general inspectorates in some of our eastern provinces has been accurate and beneficial. The realization that the laws of the Republic are the only place to seek refuge with security is a fundamental starting point for peace and development in these regions. In our new period of activity, you will deal significantly with the issue of providing land to farmers who do not own any, both in these regions and in other parts of the country” (November 1, 1928, TBMM Opening Speech).

• “Providing land to the farmer is also a matter that the government must continuously pursue. Providing the working Turkish peasant with as much land as they can cultivate is one of the primary ways to enrich the country's production” (November 1, 1929, TBMM Opening Speech). 

• “I expect the high services of the Grand National Assembly to bring the Land Law to a conclusion. It is absolutely necessary for every Turkish farmer's family to own the land they work and live on. The solid foundation and faith of the homeland lie in this principle” (November 1, 1936, TBMM Opening Speech).

• “First of all, there should be no landless farmers left in the country. More importantly, it is necessary to classify the land that can support a farmer's family as indivisible, and to regulate the size of land that large farmers and farm owners can operate according to the population density and soil fertility of the region where the land is located” (November 1, 1937, TBMM Opening Speech).

Under Atatürk's guidance, several laws aimed at making peasants landowners were passed during the founding years. In this context, it is known that land was distributed to a segment of landless and small-scale farmers. The government, which received authority with the 1925 Budget Law, distributed land to immigrants and some landless peasants based on the previously enacted Law No. 716. The Agricultural Bank (Ziraat Bankası) was also utilized for this purpose. Furthermore, to make peasants landowners, a clause was added to Article 74 of the 1924 Constitution with a law passed in 1937. The clause stated: “The expropriation prices of lands and forests to be expropriated to make the farmer a landowner and to manage them by the Ottoman State, and the manner of payment of these prices, shall be determined by special laws.” it was written.  

After Atatürk's death, with the added negative effects of the Second World War, the issue of providing land to farmers remained on hold until almost 1945. In 1945, Law No. 4753 on Providing Land to Farmers was enacted in line with Atatürk's speeches. The law included the transfer of large landowners' lands to public ownership, the distribution of a portion of these to landless and small-scale farmers, and radical changes in rural areas. 

Later on, steps were taken regarding Land Reform. There were some initiatives during the Bülent Ecevit era. Organizations were established under the name  Land Reform.

However, these mentioned initiatives could not be implemented. Large landowners, landlords, tribal leaders, and sheikhs who dominated politics and the economy prevented the enforcement of the law.

Atatürk also sheds light on the idea of  agricultural  cooperativism.

Atatürk led the Turkish cooperative movement during the period  from 1920 until his death. It is known that he gave speeches on the cooperativization of farmers and played a dominant role in the enactment of relevant laws. 

Some of Atatürk's speeches on cooperativization are as follows:

• “As I am also a farmer, I know that agriculture cannot be done without machinery; manual labor is difficult. Unite. Thus, buy machinery” (August 24, 1925, Kastamonu).

• “The fact that the organization of agricultural cooperatives has begun this year is a source of particular satisfaction for us. We are highly committed to extending these cooperatives to every part of the country” (November 1, 1929, TBMM Opening Speech).

• “For example; Cooperatives. Valuable results are being seen here and there through the initiatives of the public or intellectuals. Our government must also support such initiatives. The Government of the Republic naturally understands this necessity” (January 27, 1931, İzmir People's Party Congress).

• “My conviction is that there is definitely strength in unity.  To form a cooperative means to combine material and spiritual forces, intelligence, and skills. ... Those who think that their personal interests will be harmed by the union of producers will naturally complain” (February 1, 1931, İzmir Chamber of Commerce).

• “The cooperative organization has been loved everywhere. We see it as possible to benefit from cooperatives not only for credit and sales but also for teaching and using the means of production” (November 1, 1936, TBMM Opening Speech).

• “Using shared threshing machines in the village and nearby villages should become a habit that peasants cannot abandon. ... Agricultural industry will be a subject we will especially focus on. In the meantime, we are giving importance to dairy farming and the dairy industry. In turn, efforts will be made to establish factories that will meet the need for clean and cheap dairy products in our cities and towns, and in harmony with this, to establish cooperatives that will add value to the milk in the villages and facilitate its sale” (November 1, 1937, TBMM Opening Speech).

What is the Current State of Agriculture?

In summary, it can be said:

• Small and medium-scale farming, which constitutes the vast majority of agricultural enterprises in Turkey,  is eroding because it is forced to sell its products cheaply, below the cost of production. As a result, those who are forced to migrate from rural areas to cities face problems of poverty and even hunger because they cannot find jobs in the industrial and service sectors.
  
•  Consumers, meanwhile, are unable to access sufficient quantities of quality agricultural products because they are priced well beyond their income levels. 
• This situation is, in fact, a reflection of economic policies in agriculture that are dependent on the import of intermediate goods and raw materials. In other words,  the implementation of agricultural policy in Turkey  is carried out only to the extent permitted and deemed appropriate by central powers. 

To all these negative factors, we must add the failure to make any significant progress in the land reform that would end the feudal order—which Atatürk longed to abolish and which remains dominant today, particularly in Southeastern and Eastern Anatolia—  as well as the lack of progress in agricultural cooperatives.    In this context, are Atatürk's ideas on Land Reform and Cooperativism not still relevant? Will they not have a role in shaping our future?

The answer is clear: they remain as vital as ever.