Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2157-2162
Printed in El-Minia, Egypt
ISSN 1023-070X/2007$ 4.00
© 2007, African Crop Science Society
Abstract: Support for Village Oriented Agricultural Production Project, or in short Köy-Mer, an agricultural extension
scheme, was commenced on the 1st of January, 2004, as a pilot project in about 1000 villages for three years. The
essence of this scheme is to purchase advisory service from the agricultural and veterinary graduates for in situ training
of the farmers to increase farm income. It is financed by local government allocations and non-governmental
organizations without any central government support. This study aimed to evaluate this scheme to guide and enlighten
the policy makers. Determination of the farmer satisfaction and problems experienced in application were among the
study objectives. The data were collected through four different questionnaires. Interviews were conducted with Köy-
Mer farmers, control farmers, agricultural advisors and agricultural administrators in the study area which covered 69
provinces out of 81 in all over the country. Farmer interviews were conducted with four randomly selected farmers in
each of Köy-Mer and control villages. Villages were selected purposively to represent the whole province. One fifth of
the Köy-Mer villages in each province was selected for the study. Face to face interviews, resulted in 731 Köy-Mer and
729 control farmers, 306 advisor and administrator questionnaires, were conducted with the collaboration of the 25
research institutes. According to the study results, significant and positive changes were determined in farming
practices along with higher farmer satisfaction with the project as well as some problems in the application of the
project (i.e. farmer unwillingness in contributions, low advisor salaries, etc.).
Key words: Agricultural advisor, agricultural extension, technology transfer
scheme was the first step in the direction of privatization
Introduction of agricultural extension service in Turkiye since it was
Agricultural extension is one of the most important tools financed by local government and non-governmental
in agricultural development. It is mainly executed by the organizations without any central government support
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) and (Anonymous, 2005a). In addition, the rule was accepted
its representative directorates in the provinces and that 5% and 10% of the advisor salaries would be paid by
districts, provincial and district directorates of agriculture the farmers in the second and third years of the project
(PDA and DDA). In addition, Sugar Corporation, respectively. (Anonymous, 2004 and 2005b). In another
agricultural faculties of the universities and especially word, in funding the scheme farmer contributions were
Development Foundation of Turkiye (TKV) performs suggested even at lower rates. As long as agricultural
valuable extension work. However, their target people infrastructure problems are solved and farmer incomes
are limited. MARA, organized at district level, is the increase in time it will be possible to finance agricultural
main performer of the extension work. Nevertheless as is advisory service by the farmers, which is very unlikely
the case in many countries, heavy responsibilities of the today. Among the goals of Köy-Mer Scheme come first
PDA and DDAs other than extension limit the speeding up the works to widen the boundaries of the
effectiveness of the extension work. project and increasing the number of advisors by the
Ministry (Anonymous, 2005a). So, in order to achieve
To speed up the agricultural extension work, Training the objectives there was a need to determine and
and Visit (T&V) extension strategy was experienced with investigate the problems and bottlenecks encountered in
some rural development projects and Agricultural the application at country level to be able to guide the
Extension and Applied Research Project conducted in the decisions to be made regarding the future of the project.
past (Kumuk and Crowder, 1996). Despite of some
successful examples the result was not satisfying as well.
Material and Method
In the context of Agricultural Extension another scheme
put into action is the Support for Village Oriented Material
Agricultural Production Project, the Köy-Mer Scheme, a
The data collected with the questionnaires were the study
pilot project initiated on the 1st of January 2004 for three
material. In determination of farmer satisfaction, advisor
years. The essence was to purchase advisory service for
performances and the problems encountered during the
in situ training of the farmers to increase farm income.
application, a-farmers in the villages of advisors (Köy-
Although unit cost of the agricultural extension is Mer farmers), b-farmers in the villages with similar agro-
low, in many countries expenditures for this purpose sum ecological characteristics but out of reach of advisors
up significant amounts due to the huge number of staff (control farmers), c- representatives of PDA and DDAs,
employment. Many countries experiencing fiscal and d-agricultural advisors were considered the target
problems look for alternative structural solutions and people of the study.
they seek to privatize extension service. Köy-Mer
2157
ABDURRAHMAN KARA
2158
3.000
Agr. Advisor
2.500
Directorates of Agr.
Total score (1-5 scale)
Pesticide sellers
Other farmers
2.000
Research institutes
Coop./unions
Companies
1.000
TV
Radio
500
Regis- Regis-
tered Regis- Local tered
42% Local 41%
tered 46% Local
58%
59% 54%
c- Type of sowing: Statistical analysis proved a control farmers regarding sowing type was not
significant shift from hand scattering to drill use significant in wheat (p<0,247) but very significant in
(p<0.001). Yet, the difference between Köy-Mer and alfalfa (p<0,001) (Fig. 4).
Drill Drill
23% Drill 19%
35%
Hand Hand
scat- scatte- Hand
tering ring scat-
77% 65% tering
81%
2159
ABDURRAHMAN KARA
2160
1.000
Total score (1-5 scale) 900
Salary
800
Lack of extension
Transportation
700
materials
600
unwillingness
500
Farmer
400
Housing
300
200
100
0
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, August, Eastern Anatolia Agricultural Research Institute,
Ankara, Turkiye. Erzurum, Turkiye
Anonymous, 2005b. Decree of Central Coordination Kumuk, T. & Crowder, L.V. 1996. Harmonizing T&V
Commission of the Project, Decree No:4, 24 extension: some experiences from Turkiye, SD
February, Ankara, Turkiye Dimensions, Sustainable Development Department
Anonymous, 2004. The principles of Support for Village (SD), Food and Agriculture Organisation of the
Oriented Agricultural Production Project, Ministry United Nations, (FAO).
approval, approval no: YAY.03.009/4287, General Tahtacioglu, L., Mermer, A.Z., Ulutas, M. Avcı, &
Directorate of Organization and Support, 1st of July, Seday, R. 1993, Technical Packages, Ministry of
Ankara, Turkiye Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Eastern Anatolia
Kadioglu, S., Kara, A. & Kucuk, N. 2005. Determination Development Project for Pasture and Meadow
of the Economic Competition Power of the Forage Production, Eastern Anatolia Agricultural Research
Crops in the Production System in Erzurum, Project Institute, Publication no. 12, Erzurum, Turkiye,
Report, Project No: TAGEM / TA / 03 / 04 / 01 / 008, p.124.
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