Protect Your Soil, Cultivate Your Future: Sustainability in Agriculture and Rural Psychology

Ayşe Hilal Demirbaş, Dilem Işık Bayrak, Erdem Üzam, Sıla Özer, Sümeye Çeyil, Zehranur Karadeniz

Editors: Esin Çetin Özbudak, Umut Şen

Agriculture and farming activities play a crucial role in a country's social, economic, and cultural fabric. However, in today's circumstances, staying in agriculture and continuing life in rural areas has turned into a struggle with challenging conditions for many farmers. Economic uncertainties, low incomes, rising costs, climate change, the risk of natural disasters, inability to keep up with technological developments, and soil erosion are factors that make it difficult for farmers to achieve sustainable production and income. Additionally, the migration of the young population from rural areas to cities, labor shortages, and the abandonment of agricultural lands have made farming an increasingly challenging endeavor for those living in rural areas. Due to urban migration, agricultural lands remain uncultivated and abandoned, local residents have directed and encouraged their children towards professions perceived as "higher status," sold their fields and left their villages with the hope of starting new lives in the city; girls have made marriage decisions with the promise of living in the city, and as a result, socio-cultural changes have led to agriculture becoming increasingly sidelined and losing its importance day by day.

Recently, especially after the pandemic, we have witnessed urban people, tired of city life and its chaos and seeking a new beginning, moving to rural areas with the determination to adapt to every aspect of rural life, both vital and economic. In the near future, we may see this socio-cultural change reflected in contemporary films. Just as we have films titled "I Came Down to the City from the Village," we might soon see films titled "I Moved to the Village from the City." Additionally, similar to the concept of "nouveau riche" that developed with the phenomenon of migration from villages to cities, we may also witness the emergence of new terms for those who have migrated from cities to villages.

Although these "migrants" have primarily settled in rural areas out of a longing for natural life rather than to contribute directly to local agricultural production, we do see some indirect contributions. For example, some newcomers purchase olive groves and hire local people to manage them. This development, which brings the rural region together with the young population needed for the continuity of agriculture, provides an opportunity for rural psychologists to develop various strategies and interventions to support young people interested in agriculture.

Rural psychologists can play a crucial role in this transition by:

• Providing mental health support and counseling to new settlers adapting to rural life.

• Facilitating integration between newcomers and local residents to foster community building.

• Offering educational programs and workshops on sustainable farming practices.

• Supporting local youth in developing agricultural skills and knowledge, encouraging them to see agriculture as a viable and rewarding career.

• Conducting research on the psychological impacts of rural-to-urban and urban-to-rural migration, providing insights to policymakers and community leaders.

By addressing these areas, rural psychologists can help ensure that the migration trend positively impacts both the newcomers and the existing rural communities, contributing to the sustainability and vitality of rural life.

Raising Awareness: Rural psychologists can create awareness by conveying the opportunities agriculture offers and the current developments in the sector to young people and interested individuals. This highlights that agriculture is not just a traditional profession but also a dynamic sector that includes technological and sustainable practices.

Career Counseling: Rural psychologists can provide information about career options related to agriculture, helping young people assess their personal skills and interests. This can assist young people in discovering their strengths and understanding how they can succeed in the agricultural sector.

Enhancing Relevant Skills and Abilities: Helping individuals interested in agriculture develop their skills and abilities in this field makes them feel more competent. Rural psychologists can strengthen individuals' agricultural skills through educational programs, workshops, or individual counseling.

These approaches can significantly contribute to the overall development and sustainability of rural areas by ensuring that individuals are well-informed, skilled, and motivated to engage in agricultural activities.

Mentorship and Introduction to Role Models: Rural psychologists can introduce individuals interested in agriculture to experienced agricultural professionals or successful farmers, providing them with real-life examples. This helps individuals establish connections with those who have succeeded in the field and gain inspiration.

Psychosocial Support: Working in the agricultural sector can be filled with challenging conditions and uncertainties. Rural psychologists can create psychosocial support programs to help young people develop skills to cope with these challenges, build stress management strategies, and provide emotional support.

Strengthening Community Bonds: Rural psychologists can work to integrate young people into agricultural communities, enhancing their social connections. This can help young people find more support and solidarity in the sector. Community support can increase motivation.

Emphasizing Sustainability and Social Contributions: Reminding individuals interested in agriculture that the sector focuses on important values such as sustainability and societal contributions can be a motivating factor. Rural psychologists can support individuals in developing sensitivity to the environmental and social dimensions of agriculture.

To ensure the sustainability of agricultural activities, it is also necessary to address the factors that motivate or cause rural-to-urban migration. Understanding how each factor can contribute to building a strong and sustainable agricultural future is critical for strengthening the agricultural sector and providing future generations with healthy and sustainable food sources.

1. Economic Factors: Input Costs and Market Value

One of the most crucial aspects of remaining in agriculture is economic sustainability. By developing effective strategies to reduce input costs and increase the market value of their products, farmers can be offered a more economically sustainable future. This includes receiving education on financial management and adopting new agricultural technologies to enhance productivity.

2. Technology-Focused Solutions: Efficiency

Modern agricultural technologies are essential for farmers to increase efficiency. Next-generation smart farming applications, such as sensor technologies and digital marketing strategies, can provide farmers with a competitive advantage. Additionally, agricultural education programs should be established to support farmers in learning and adapting to these technologies. Promoting organic farming and renewable energy sources can provide farmers with knowledge and accelerate the transition, ensuring agricultural sustainability.

3. Marketing and Trade Strategies: Export

Expanding into international markets, in addition to local markets, offers farmers the chance to earn more income. Support and opportunities for export can help farmers market their products globally. Conducting market research to predict demand and creating strategic marketing plans can assist farmers in establishing a sustainable trade network.

4. Social Support and Cooperation: Producer Associations & Cooperatives

Farmer organizations and cooperatives play a significant role in ensuring unity and solidarity among farmers. Strong organizational structures can help farmers find more effective solutions to common problems. Education, information, and marketing support can be provided to farmers through these organizations.

5. Rural Development and Quality of Life: Attractive Rural Areas

Improving the quality of life in rural areas is crucial for attracting younger generations and families to agriculture. Good infrastructure in education and health services can make living in rural areas more appealing to farmers. State-supported rural development projects can be implemented to ensure the sustainability of agricultural activities in these regions.

6. The Role of Education

Highlighting career fields that can support and modernize the agricultural climate, rather than excluding them, can contribute to shaping the process in the long term. This includes promoting professions that can increase productivity in agriculture among students in rural schools.

7. Workshops for Organic Farming

In addition to the factors mentioned above, informative and sustainable agriculture-promoting workshops targeting urban migrants longing for nature can be organized. This way, organic farming is encouraged, and the urban population is informed and motivated to be more productive in agricultural production.

By addressing these areas, the agricultural sector can be strengthened, offering a healthy and sustainable food supply for future generations while supporting farmers' economic and social well-being.

The sustainability of agricultural activities is a topic that needs to be addressed in a holistic manner. Correct steps taken from economic, technological, social, and environmental perspectives can shape the future of agriculture and provide farmers with long-term success and sustainability. Therefore, "comprehensive support programs for farmers should be created by considering different dimensions of agricultural policies."

The agriculture of the future should be shaped by the principle of sustainability and strengthened by providing farmers not only with material support but also with education, consultancy, and psychological support.

Information: The framework of this blog post and the visual used have been created using artificial intelligence. The blog framework was generated by ChatGPT. The visual used in the blog was created with Gencraft using the input "young people in the farm."

References

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ÇINAR, G., ARMAĞAN, G., ÖZDEN, A., & ÇINAR, N. (2017). Çiftçiler İçin Girişimcilik Ölçeği Geliştirilmesi ve Çiftlik Performansı Üzerindeki Etkisi. Tarım Ekonomisi Dergisi, 23(2), 323-333.

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (Jan 04 version) [Large language model].

https://chat.openai.com/chat

Gencraft. (2024). Gencraft (Jan 04 version) [Generative AI].

            https://gencraft.com/