One of the important factors for a country’s population to live prosperously is the efficient use of all resources. In this respect, the role of production activities in developing the country’s economy is quite large.
Within the development scope, it is essential to increase agricultural productivity in rural areas and focus on technological developments, progress in education, and industrialization. In addition, products may require new and modern techniques to earn more income and raise the population’s standard of living.
The projects that emerged for this purpose are very valuable in terms of the development of rural areas, their involvement in production, and the emergence of new employment opportunities.
The rural development supports carried out in Turkey also carry this purpose. Projects such as IPARD have greatly contributed to rural areas’ development. With the beginning of the applications, we deal with the issue of pastoral development support for curious producers who want to benefit.
Rural Development Support Programs and Types
Rural development studies are implemented as rural development projects or projects. The units that carry out the implementations may be the government’s institutions. However, voluntary organizations that do not have a public nature can also operate.
The projects to be implemented aim to solve the problems experienced in rural areas. In summary, Rural Development Support Programs are support programs that aim to develop rural areas.
Developing the rural area, increasing its recognition, creating employment, and contributing to production are within the scope of Rural Development Support Programs projects in Turkey.
One of the best programs within the scope of rural development support is the IPARD project. IPARD is the support program of the European Union that aims to develop the Common Agricultural Policy, Rural Development Policy, and similar policies.
All legal and real persons engaged in agriculture in Turkey, those registered with the National Farmer Registration System or the National Animal Registration System, can benefit from the energy support incentives ARDSI provides. The Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution in Turkey supports agriculture, livestock, and rural development enterprises that aim to invest in renewable energy. Thus, improving rural environmental conditions and including them in life is possible. Three important supports come to the fore within the scope of pastoral development support:
- Diesel, fertilizer, veterinary services, and tractor aids are provided to the farmers. Subsidized loans are also offered to eligible individuals.
- Various special grants are provided for almonds, walnuts, beekeeping, greenhouse cultivation, herbal products, and aquaculture.
- Within the scope of the rural development support program, various discounts are also provided for many activities.
IPARD on Rural Development in Turkey
Before mentioning the importance of the IPARD program, it will be useful to explain what IPARD is. The European Union established it to support candidate and potential candidate countries. It has been planned as a Rural Development Programme. It is implemented by the Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution (ARDSI) in Turkey and consists of grants. The program supports small businesses and interested individuals in developing agriculture in Turkey.
In this respect, ARDSI’s mission is to ensure that the resources provided by the EU and international organizations are used in activities to implement rural development programs in Turkey. The institution is the only institution in our country accredited by the EU and authorized to use the budget foreseen by the EU for the candidate and potential candidate countries.
In the ARDSI IPARD program, support for machinery and equipment purchases and expenditures for some agricultural machinery and equipment determined in rural areas are financed as grants.
The purpose of this program is:
- Contributing to Turkey’s preparation process for implementing the Common Agricultural Policy and the relevant achievements in the EU accession process,
- Supporting rational, sustainable, and inclusive growth through the development of physical capital,
- To ensure the efficient use of resources and the dissemination of renewable energy,
- Improving the overall performance of agriculture in Turkey and increasing their competitiveness, including their marketing competencies,
- To comply with EU standards on issues such as environmental protection and animal welfare,
- Improving the quality of life in rural areas and reducing regional inequalities
- Creating opportunities for new job opportunities,
- Increasing economic activity in rural areas by providing employment and preventing the decrease of rural population.
Supports for Agricultural Production
Farmers can benefit from non-refundable grants in Turkey. Within the scope of rural development supports, aids such as veterinary medicine, tractor, fertilizer, and diesel are given to citizens who are currently engaged in farming. The agricultural sectors eligible for the support of the Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution in Turkey are stated below:
- Facilities producing meat, milk, and eggs
- Those engaged in fishing activities
- Businesses that process and market vegetables and fruits
- Companies that process and market milk and dairy products
- beekeepers
- aquaculture breeders
- Rural tourism operators
- Those who work on value-added local products and crafts
- Those engaged in the diversification of herbal products
- Machine park enterprises
In addition to the agricultural sectors eligible for ARDSI and IPARD support, some equipment is also within the scope of this support. A tractor, baler, grass mower, feed grinder, and freeze dryer are included in the ARDSI machinery equipment list.
Freeze-dry machines are very important, especially in storing and marketing food produced during agricultural activities. Thanks to these machines, which are used as drying ice cream machines, foods can preserve their shelf life for many years without losing color and taste. Thus, it has become an important technology for agriculture in Turkey and for developing its economy.
Rural Tourism and Local Development Projects
Within the scope of rural development, it is essential to improve the living conditions of the rural population. In addition, it is aimed to reduce the differences in the level of development between rural and urban areas, to protect environmental and cultural values, and to operate by taking into account natural resources.
Increasing employment and solving the migration problem along with agricultural solutions in rural development are among the issues that are given importance. In this respect, tourism draws attention as one of the alternative activities.
Thus, the role of tourism activities applied in rural areas in rural development emerges. In terms of protecting natural resources in rural development, ensuring sustainability, and transferring them to future generations, every suggestion and support should be evaluated as open to growth.
The World Tourism Organization emphasizes the following when defining rural tourism. Rural tourism cannot concentrate solely on agricultural or farm tourism. It covers all tourism activities in the rural area. Let’s list what these activities can be within the scope of rural-based holidays: They can be nature activities such as hiking, climbing, adventure holidays, canoe-rafting, grass skiing, snow walking, bird watching, and photographing.
In addition, hunting, cycling tours, horse riding, rural heritage, watching countryside, small village/town tours, recreational holidays that require rural areas, small-scale conferences, rural festivals, river and lake fishing, and many nature sports can also be carried out within the scope of rural tourism activities. Therefore, rural development support projects are very effective for rural tourism and local development projects.
Education and Employment-Oriented Rural Development Projects
Differences in the level of development between regions in Turkey draw attention. Some elements feed the rapid and unplanned urbanization shaped by migrations. The most important of these is the development problems in rural areas.
Rural development supports are required for national welfare to be balanced throughout the country. Regarding rural development, the necessary training should be provided while local production is supported. Projects should be focused on education and employment. In addition, these projects should focus on strengthening human resources, training the farmer, establishing a food chain meeting the market, and being familiar with new production techniques and technologies.
How to Benefit from Rural Development Supports?
One of the most curious subjects for those who want to continue their agricultural activities is how to benefit from rural development support in Turkey. We have compiled important information about the terms of use and how the process will proceed, thinking it will be beneficial:
- To apply for rural development support, it is necessary to be included in the farmer registration system or a registration system established by the Ministry. Those who make export-oriented investments, producer organizations, women entrepreneurs, young farmers, and young entrepreneurs can be listed as the segment with a high chance of granting.
- In the application process, a grant project should be prepared by the application form and its annexes in the application guide. If you need more experience in this field, getting help from a specialist who provides services in this field may be an alternative.
- With the prepared project, an application is first made in an electronic environment through the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry website. Afterward, the entered application file and its annexes are delivered to the province’s Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, where the investment will be made. There is an additional five days for file delivery.
For the IPARD support programs in Turkey, the application process works differently:
- Initially, these support programs cover 42 cities. The area where production will be made, and the activity will be carried out must be one of these 42 cities. The most important question for those who want support is who can benefit from it. Real and legal persons can apply and benefit from the IPARD program.
- The applicant must be at least 18 years old and not over 65. There is an important criterion for legal entities. Those with more than 25% public shares cannot apply. However, applicants must continue their investments for five years after the end.
- Eligible expenditures have also been determined within the scope of IPARD programs in Turkey. Accordingly, this includes constructing and improving immovable property, excluding acquisition. These expenses include purchasing new machinery and equipment, investments for farm activities, investments in renewable energy facilities, consultancy, and business plan preparation.
- Those who want to apply to IPARD support programs should follow the Application Call Announcement. The application period specified when the advertisement is published must be considered.
If you have an application plan, you can apply to the Provincial Coordinatorships of the Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution in your province after the announcement. Acceptance rates for these projects may vary according to the projects that meet the eligibility conditions.
Rural Development Supports and The Technology of Freeze-Dry
Rural development supports in Turkey are very important for the country’s economy and future because the lack of income in rural areas causes people to migrate to the city. Projects such as the IPARD program support are effective for many developing countries such as Turkey.
The contribution of freeze-drying machines to the agricultural sector is quite large. Some purposes are taken as a basis within the scope of IPARD support. These are:
- Reducing post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables
- Developing the capacities of cold storage and drying facilities
- Being advantageous for businesses to comply with EU standards
- Elimination of environmentally polluting production processes
Regarding the question of why freeze dry, the freeze-drying method is quite suitable for these aims. The freeze dryer makes it possible to dry foods using the most advanced and healthy technology. With Liyolife freeze dryer products, fresh foods are dried without losing their nutritional value. The shelf life of foods dried by this method is very high.
Freeze-dried products are easy to market and have hassle-free storage. It also provides healthy and sustainable storage conditions for many of the programs covered by these support programs. In this respect, you can examine Liyolife Freeze Dryer and its equipment for your business and benefit from the most suitable products for your investment.
You can reach our previous article from https://liyolife.com/en/the-most-common-mistakes-in-the-lyophilization-process/
