Müfit ŞEKERCİ

Presedent

Local Actors Project (LAP) – 2

  I have received a large number of positive messages concerning the LAP, which we first mentioned in our previous issue, as well as questions concerning implementation, and messages expressing a desire for cooperation and participation. Here, I thank all those readers, whom I am unable to name individually, for their interest.

The project implementation requests concerned mainly how to develop implementation for rural development as a result of Turkey’s economic and social structure. Therefore, it will be useful to expound on the relationship between the LAP model and agricultural and rural development.

The main dynamics of development in the world have been industry and production based on industry. Our country was not able to complete its drive for industrialisation during the Ottoman period, and efforts were made to close the gap after the Empire came to an end and the Republic started. Despite the shortage of many inputs, the lack of trained labour and the deficiency of capital, the early periods of the Republic were an example to many countries of the world for industrialisation efforts.

Since the conditions were not suitable for the success of the industrialisation effort, agriculture and animal husbandry inevitably remained important. Today, although our main goal is industrialisation, a review of the conditions shows that agriculture and animal husbandry cannot be overlooked. As we turn towards reducing the agricultural population in the process of alignment with the EU, this may trigger an immediate exodus of labour in this area to the cities and create undesirable social developments. Therefore, we must take the maximum care regarding the change of agricultural policies on account of the process of alignment with the EU and we must correctly determine the infrastructure of change and the alternative policies.

If the goal is to be industrialisation, we must create the right conditions for the large rural population in our country to be included in this area. It would not be realistic but a dream at best for our country to achieve a further drive of industrialisation. After the sale of large industrial facilities to foreign capital, how realistic would it be to expect this country to establish new industrial facilities with its own capital? Then, we must use our own existing production inputs and manpower with our own capital structure. We must create the areas where our existing manpower will be successful and the fields where it will create value-added. At a time when it is recommended that the State should withdraw from the economy and when it cannot make the necessary investments because of its internal and external debts, one must properly see what things can be achieved by whom.

Turkey has been intentionally put into a spiral of debt. Its manpower, natural resources and other additional possibilities have not been used properly. No borrowing by it has been wise and it has become bogged down in debt as a result of the intentional or unintentional mistakes of political authorities. Due to its continuing obligations of debt, it cannot determine and implement any goal of industrialisation in a near future. For this country to create, operate and utilise the necessary resources towards the goal of industrialisation and to transform the values it creates into new productive investments on the road to industrialisation, local efforts must be started in addition to the government, and the integration of production across the country must be introduced under a plan.

Today, most of our country’s agricultural areas are allocated to the raising of crops that have a low return across the world. The uneducated peasant-farmer class is engaged in what is called “lazy agriculture”, especially wheat farming. Wheat leaves the farmer’s hands without creating value-added in the areas where it is raised. Since the yield per unit of land is low, the agricultural sector will have difficulty in maintaining itself and remain a burden on the national economy regardless of how much you raise the price per kilo in purchases.

Efforts to improve agricultural and animal production will, after some time, ensure the processing and marketing of products. The processing of products and the creation of value-added will contribute to regional employment in addition to creating more income per unit of land in the region. As regional specialisation develops in time, the training of the necessary manpower or its recruitment from outside can also be achieved under municipal leadership on a regional basis, even if this is not compulsory.

Regions at short distance can unite and establish integrated facilities. In this way, it can be possible to achieve increases of yield and thus to lower the unit costs of production.

It can be ensured that the necessary experts and technical personnel are employed with the costs to be borne by the facilities to be established. These personnel can be employed for the improvement of regional production.

Several regional facilities can unite and perform joint marketing and distribution work.

With several regional structures coming together, the quality of manpower and production can be raised through larger-scale training activities to improve the commercial suitability of goods and services across the country or on a world scale. It would be easier to monitor the world trade and economy through larger upper structures and to re-determine the policies.

Today, masses who have nothing to lose because they are not able to unite have come into being in countries. It would not be easy to predict where the anger of these masses may turn in the future. Considering the changes in the patterns of crime in cities, it appears that jobless people crowded into cities will get more radicalised, that urban banditry will increase, that streets will become less safe, that the feeling of identification with one’s city will grow blunt, and that the proportion of service recipients to taxpayers will further deteriorate.

There is not plenty of time but it is not too late, either...

Everybody and especially mayors must now do something...