February 18, 2025

In cooperation with the Council of Higher Education and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, “Agricultural Technologies Workshop” was organized under the chairmanship of Erol Özvar, President of the Council of Higher Education, in order to shape the future of the agricultural sector with science and technology.

In his opening speech at the workshop, Özvar stated that they aim to create education models that will support the digital transformation process in the agricultural sector and to expand employment-friendly programs. He stated that digital transformation has become a necessity to ensure that agricultural production becomes more efficient, environmentally friendly and economically sustainable.

Özvar stated that computer programs and robot technologies have been used in agricultural production with Agriculture 3.0 since the 20th century. He said that they encourage universities to specialize in certain areas related to agriculture within the framework of the Regional Development-Oriented Mission Differentiation Program to make agricultural production more compatible with regional development strategies.

“In this context, the following universities and fields of study were matched: Bingöl University with agriculture and basin-based development, Kırşehir Ahi Evran University with agriculture and geothermal energy, Siirt University with agriculture and animal husbandry, Iğdır University with high value-added agricultural products, Karamanoğlu Mehmet Bey University with precision agriculture practices and innovative processing technologies, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University and Muş Alparslan University with animal husbandry, Yozgat Bozok University with industrial hemp, Artvin Çoruh University with medicinal aromatic plants, Kırklareli University with food, Giresun University with hazelnut, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University with tea, Samsun Ondokuz Mayıs University and Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University with food biotechnology. In addition, within the scope of the universities specializing in priority areas program, Selçuk University and Konya Food and Agriculture University have come to the forefront in the field of digital technologies in agriculture.”

Özvar pointed out the importance of transforming agricultural education into a structure that increases digital competencies, strengthens data-based decision-making skills and focuses on training human resources that can use technology effectively, and said, “We aim to increase the agricultural production capacity and global competitiveness of our country by encouraging the creation of undergraduate and associate degree programs based on digital technologies in agriculture, revising existing programs and deepening cooperation with the sector.”

Özvar emphasized that the adaptation of the agricultural sector to the digital transformation process, supporting it with employment-oriented training policies and closing the skills gap in the sector are among the main priorities determined within the scope of the 2025-2028 National Employment Strategy.

Speaking at the workshop, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Prof. Ahmet Gümen expressed his satisfaction with the organization of the workshop on digitalization in agricultural technologies, which they have been working intensively recently. Prof. Gümen said that the importance of agriculture and the importance of self-sufficiency in countries is better understood with the recent wars and pandemics.