The Future of Agriculture, Women’s Labor, and the Power of Cooperatives

As the Horanta Women’s Initiative, we wholeheartedly believe in the power of women touching the soil and that labor grows through solidarity. So, what is the most permanent way to overcome the challenges facing agriculture in Turkey, ensure rural development, and receive the full value of the labor we produce? We can see the answer to this question very clearly in the valuable analyses of Prof. Dr. Ziya Gökalp Mülâyim, which shed light on the past, present, and future of our agricultural cooperativism.

The Lifeline of Small Businesses and Farmers: Cooperatives

The quote that Prof. Dr. Mülâyim highlighted, citing his own teacher, the famous Italian agricultural economist Arrigo Serpieri, summarizes our starting point: “For small farmers, the cooperative is the greatest invention of this century. If there were no such tool as a cooperative, it would not be possible for these small agricultural enterprises to survive.” Countries that are world giants in agriculture, such as Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy, sustain their agriculture today precisely through this cooperative model.

Today, the average age of the farming population in our country has reached 58. If we, the producers, especially women, do not receive the reward for the labor we give to the soil, our villages will face abandonment. However, there is a very promising point highlighted by Professor Mülâyim: the strengthening of the cooperative movement will improve income distribution; it will enable women and youth to stay in the village and lead production. As the Horanta Women’s Initiative, our active role in cooperatives and growing this structure is not only an economic necessity but also a deep-rooted social development movement.

Just Establishing is Not Enough: 5 Fundamental Problems Awaiting Solutions

Of course, establishing a cooperative does not solve all the problems of agriculture and producers by itself. For moving together to turn into a true power, we must overcome the 5 fundamental problems pointed out by Prof. Dr. Mülâyim:

1. Finance: For cooperatives to have a strong structure, there is a need for a state-supported “Cooperatives Bank,” but with management belonging entirely to the cooperatives.
2. Higher Organization: In order for our local cooperatives to compete in the global market, export, and step into agricultural industry, they must establish specialized and regional unions to complete their “higher organizations.”
3. Education and Research: Cooperativism is not just a commercial enterprise, it is a consciousness. It is essential that this consciousness is included in educational curricula from primary school to university, and that cooperatives continue their in-service training uninterruptedly.
4. Legislation (Democratization): Our cooperativism legislation should move away from state tutelage and acquire a free and democratic structure that reflects the free will of the producer.
5. Audit: For cooperatives to succeed, an effective “self-audit” mechanism must be established, free from state intervention, through cooperative higher organizations and audit unions.

Our Roadmap as Horanta Women’s Initiative

These eye-opening evaluations written by Prof. Dr. Ziya Gökalp Mülâyim provide realistic answers to the question “How to save Turkish agriculture?” while proving how right a path we, the Horanta Women’s Initiative, are walking.

As women who stand shoulder to shoulder to overcome educational gaps, believe in democratic functioning, and blend the abundance of the land with solidarity, we are at the very center of production. In order for our labor to find its value, for our lands to turn green, and for women’s voices to be louder in our villages, we will continue to spread the consciousness of cooperativism, produce together, and grow together!

Source: Sosyal Ekonomi – Realistic Answer to the Question “How to Save Turkish Agriculture?”