Structure of Wheat and Corn Farming: a Survey on Amik Plain Farmers
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Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology, 8(8): 1612-1617, 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v8i8.1612-1617.2935 Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology Available online, ISSN: 2148-127X │www.agrifoodscience.com │ Turkish Science and Technology Publishing (TURSTEP) Structure of Wheat and Corn Farming: A Survey on Amik Plain Farmers Mehmet Halis Koçer1,a, Ömer Konuşkan2,b,* 1Institute of Natural and Applied Sciences, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, 31030 Hatay, Turkey 2Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Mustafa Kemal University, 31030 Hatay, Turkey *Corresponding author ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT This study was conducted to identify the current problems of cereal crops like wheat and corn Research Article producers and to suggest solutions for overcoming those problems in Amik Plain (Antakya, Kirikhan, Kumlu, Reyhanli districts) in Hatay province of Turkey. In this study, the primary data was obtained by face-to-face survey from 100 cereal producers in Amik plain. All variables are Received : 02/09/2019 given as frequency and percentage distribution, and numerical variables as mean. The survey Accepted : 10/08/2020 assessed the level of education of grain producers, the number of individuals in the farm, record keeping, social security, crops (wheat and corn) growing area, yield, sowing and harvest date ranges, property and leasehold land use, cultural practices and grain production. The data were analysed using simple statistical analysis methods (frequency, averages, percentage distribution). Keywords: The results indicated that about 50% of the cereal producers had higher educational degree. It was Wheat determined that producers had an average of 12.3 ha of wheat and 15 ha of corn cultivated area. Maize Moreover, cereal production is well known as one of the cultural practices in the study area. The Survey main problem of grain producers is that the low cereal prices. In addition, the Turkish Grain Board Cultivation (TMO) does not purchase the production at the time of harvesting. Moreover, high production costs Problems and corn irrigation are considered other problems that cereal producers are facing. a b [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2371-050X [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1135-2346 This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Introduction Cereals crops like rice (Oriza sativa), wheat (Triticum In terms of planting area, 7.7 million ha of land are used asetivum), corn (Zea mays), barley (Hordeum vulgare), for wheat production (21.5 million tons) which takes the sorghum (Sotghum vulgare), oat (Avene sativa), pearl first place in Turkey, and followed by barley and corn millet (Panicum mileacceum), and foxtail millet (Setaria covering the area of 2.72 million ha and 639084 ha, italica) are grown about half of the treated areas (720.6 respectively. The production figures of wheat, barley and million hectares), which is 1.4 billion hectares in the world maize are 21.5, 8.0 and 5.9 million tons against those (FAO, 2014). Wheat and corn crops are produced as annual production areas, respectively (TUİK, 2018). cereals in any climatic and soil conditions in the world The average yield of wheat and maize are 391 kg/da (Barutcular et al., 2017; Hossain et al., 2018; Yildirim et and 1.087 kg/ha respectively in Hatay, Turkey (TUIK, al., 2018). Wheat, which covered the most cultivated area 2017). While the national average is 907.5 kg/da, and the among the cereals, is taken the first place of 220.1million average yield in the world is 566.4 kg/da (FAO, 2014). hectares of planting area. Corn is the world's largest cereal Considering the fact that the cereals plays a central role in crop, playing a significant role in guaranteeing global food the human and animals feeding. In previous study, Kırtok, security (Abdelaal et al., 2017). Corn is secured the second (1997) concluded that cereal crops play a significant role position after wheat that covering 183 million hectares of for foods and feedings. People living in developing cultivated area, and followed by rice with 163 million countries cannot reach sufficient food sources originated hectares. Globally, rice is one of the major cereals from reach food. It causes malnutrition in the population of developed and grown over the world (Anis et al., 2019). those countries. In this case, people tend towards to The production trends of maize, rice and wheat are 1 billion vegetable proteins such as wheat and corn. Various studies tones, 741 million tons and 729 million tons, respectively were performed on different agricultural cultivation and (FAO, 2016). economical situation, previously (Koc et al., 2011; Parlakay et al., 2015a; Parlakay et al., 2015b; Yılmaz et al., 1612 Koçer and Konuşkan / Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology, 8(8): 1612-1617, 2020 2015). In the future, the increase in temperature will cause Table 1. Age, education, livestock producer and insurance a large amount of water loss in the soil and plants. Water of the farmers shortage will result in a significant decrease in crop Age % productivity. So, the main aim of this study was to identify 25-45 38.4 problems in wheat and maize production, and to propose 46-65 52.5 solutions to these problems for Amik plain of Hatay 66-85 7.1 Province, Turkey. 86+ 2 Education % Material and Methods Literate 13.7 Primary 22.1 Material Middle School 14.7 The main material of this study was collected from the High School 26.3 questionnaire of the agricultural enterprises who are University 23.1 engaged in the field of cereal cultivation in the research Production method % area. The data were collected through face-to-face Classical 85.4 interviews. The survey was conducted in spring 2015. Modern 3.1 In the study, the data from FAO, TUIK, and Ministry Both 11.5 of Food, Agriculture and Livestock were used as secondary Cropping System % data. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock Wheat 7.1 Hatay Provincial Area (Kırıkhan, Antakya and Reyhanlı), Corn 1.2 national and international information were taken into Wheat and forage crops 1.2 consideration for the research. Wheat and maize 22.4 wheat, cotton, maize, vegetables 51.80 Methods wheat, cotton, vetch 16.5 The determination of sample size, the villages that represent the research area in terms of agricultural Table 2. Insurance, animal breeding, job of the farmers techniques and natural conditions, where cereal production is common, were determined by the method of non- No Yes traditional sampling, and surveying of these villages was Animal breeding(%) 89.7 10.3 carried out by randomly selected enterprises. Insurance(%) 5.1 94.8 Amik Plain grain (corn and wheat) producers and the Recording(%) 51.2 48.8 data obtained by questionnaire were analysed by SPSS Other job in Farming (%) 82.3 17.7 22.0 program. Numerical variables are given as average, Another job(%) 76 24 categorical variables are percentage distribution. The sample size is planned to be at least 100 Farmers. The When we look at product-based distribution of questionnaire survey was conducted by considering the producers in terms of cultivation area usage; the average size of agricultural area of the location of area under wheat cultivation area was 123 da, the number was investigation. In the study on maize agriculture which was changed by 10 to 500 da. made in the same region previously, the sample size was The average corn planting area was 150 da, and this determined as 140 (Gözübenli et al., 2000) and in another number varies between 15 and 600 da. The average study, the sample size was 67 (Öztekin, 2017). As a matter planting area was 62 da, and this number varies between of fact, the sample size of 100 well-selected enterprises 20 and 162 da. The average of the fruit planting area was operating in a region with similar characteristics seems to 41 da. It is seen that this number changes between 10 and be sufficient in agricultural management surveys (Yang, 95 da, the average cropping area of other crops is 135 da, 1964). and this number changes between 3 and 700 da. It was determined that the vast majority of producers Result and Discussion (60%) were members of an agricultural establishment, about 70% of them use credit, and all receive product Data of The Hatay Province support (Table 2). The average cultivation area of 100 Surface area of Hatay Province is 5.827 km² excluding producers growing corn in Amik Plain is 185 da, yield is lakes, 46.1% of provincial lands are consisted of 1.332 kg/da and price is determined as 0.71 TL / kg (Kaya mountains, 33.5% are consisted of plains and 20.4% are and Budak, 2018). consisted of plateaus. The area size of Amik Plain is The rotation distribution of the grain farmer is given in 105.388 ha and it is consisted 73% of the total plain area in Table 1. Total 44% of the producers stated that they Hatay province. The crops that are grown in the Amik Plain preferred wheat-cotton-corn-vegetable, 19% of wheat- respectively are wheat, corn, cotton, potatoes, onion, corn, 6% of only corn, 1% of only wheat and 1% of wheat- sunflower and soybeans (Anonymous, 2016).Kaya and forage crops. Producuer usually prefer bread wheat Budak (2018) revealed that, cotton, wheat and corn varieties, and Sagittario, Basribey, Masaccio, Adana 99, products has an important place in Amik Plain; (Kaya, Victoria, Stendal, and Golia are the most popular varieties 2017) also stated that Melon, onion, carrot, olive, apricot, of soft wheat. They also stated that they generally regarded spinach, tomato, vetch, potato, nectarine and parsley is the durum wheat as a local Karakılçık as bulgur which is formed the production pattern of the region.