THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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Eastern Anatolia Project (DAP) Regional Development Administration Chair Prof. Dr. Osman Demirdöğen stated that they will work to attract Generation Z to agriculture, saying, “We will provide project-based support for current topics such as agricultural mechanization, digitalization, precision agriculture or what is referred to as Industry 4.0. We will prioritize these projects, provided they come from women and young people. We will try to attract them to this field.”
AGES INCREASED FROM 58 TO 60!
Answering questions from members of the press, Demirdöğen emphasized that the average age in the agricultural sector has increased from 58 to 60!
“The average age in the agricultural sector has risen from 58 to 60. There is a trend of people moving away from agriculture. In our 2024-2028 action plan, our aim is to make things easier by ramping up agricultural mechanization. Unfortunately, young people don’t like heavy work. There is also a problem stemming from us. Because we act with the mentality of ‘We suffered, our children shouldn’t suffer.’ People don’t like the work they do. And they don’t recommend their children to do work they don’t like. After the pandemic, agricultural production became one of the leading sectors in the world. In terms of income and status, those who work in agriculture have truly come to the forefront. Despite this, we still haven’t reached a level where we can be proud of what we do. We have included education in all our future projects. We will strive to do whatever is necessary to attract our children to this sector,” he said.
‘WE CAN’T JUST DISMISS GENERATION Z’
Responding to a question about Generation Z, Demirdöğen added, “I define Generation Z as a generation whose expectations don’t match their capacities. We will either lower the expectations of the new generation or raise their capacities. We can’t just dismiss Generation Z. Generation Z, who haven’t entered agriculture, expect ‘easier jobs.’ If such an opportunity is provided, I think those individuals will also enter these jobs.”
