Faculty members from our university, Dr. Mustafa Özsarı and Dr. Mustafa Alparslan Umarusman, participated as members of the 4th Agriculture and Forestry Council

The fourth Agriculture and Forestry Council, following those held in 1997, 2004, and 2019, was convened under the theme "Turkey’s Century: The Century of Abundance," with the participation of Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı. Within the working groups established under 16 headings related to the Council, our university’s faculty members carried out activitiesunder the “Working Group on Adaptation to and Competition in International Agricultural Developments.”Dr. Mustafa Özsarı, who served as the working group’s rapporteur, was presented with a plaque of appreciation by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, on behalf of Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı, through Ministerial Advisor Ali Recep Nazlı, in recognition of his contributions.

The Council, whose work began in September 2024 and held a preparatory workshop on January 30–31, 2025, included 288 academics from 87 different universities, 417 representatives from 234 different civil society organizations, chambers, associations, and cooperatives, 205 participants from the private sector, and 687 expert public sector employees. In the working groups, consultation meetings were organized with the participation of all sectors directly or indirectly involved in the agriculture, food, forestry, and water sectors—including relevant public institutions, farmers, producer associations, cooperatives, civil society organizations, academics, international organizations, and private sector representatives—to address the challenges facing our country’s agricultural production, potential solutions, objectives, and strategies for addressing these challenges.

Based on the established roadmap, steps have been planned to ensure the dynamic planning of sustainable agricultural production with a future-oriented perspective, the comprehensive and effective management of agricultural policies, the assurance of food security and safety, and the prevention of food waste.

Among the Council’s objectives are the protection and sustainable use of soil, water resources, and biodiversity while taking climate change into account; the organization and awareness-raising of farmers; the effective and efficient management of sustainable forestry, agricultural irrigation, and water resource conservation; the regulation of agricultural markets by focusing on key issues such as agriculture-based industry and logistics; enhancing Turkey’s competitive strength, and further strengthening its influential position in the global agricultural sector are among the prominent goals and strategies.