By Abdullahi Lukman
The average age of farmers in Turkey has climbed to 59, with a starkly low 5 percent of farmers aged between 18 and 32, signaling a rapid disengagement of young people from agriculture and rural life, the Turkish Farmers’ Union (TFU) warned.
Union head, Şemsi Bayraktar, revealed the concerning statistics, highlighting that 35 percent of farmers are over 65 and another 35 percent fall between 50 and 64.
Bayraktar emphasized the increasing average age of the agricultural workforce, noting that 82 percent of farmers are men and 18 percent are women.
He cautioned that if effective policies aren’t implemented to attract younger generations to farming, Turkey’s long-term food supply security faces significant risks.
The TZOB head pointed out that the number of farmers aged 18-24 decreased by 6 percent in 2024, while the 33-49 age group saw a 4 percent decline.
He attributed this trend to young people opting for minimum wage jobs in cities over farming in their villages, citing limited economic, social, and educational opportunities in rural areas.
Bayraktar even described villages with no births in nearly three decades that become completely deserted in winter.
Data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) shows the agriculture sector’s contribution to Turkey’s GDP fell to 5.6 percent in 2024, down from 6.2 percent in 2023 and 6.5 percent in 2022.
While the sector experienced a 3.9 percent expansion last year, this followed sluggish growth rates in the preceding years.
Bayraktar urged immediate action to reverse the aging trend in agriculture. He called for policies to incentivize young people to return to farming, increase farmers’ incomes, and strengthen their social security.
Specific recommendations included facilitating young people’s access to agricultural land, providing low-interest loans and grants, and establishing special funds for agricultural entrepreneurship.