TURKEY SOIL PRODUCTIVITY MAP PROJECT
In parallel with the increase in the world population, the need for agricultural food is also increasing. The correct and efficient use of scarce resources is important in terms of meeting the balance of agricultural food supply and demand and ensuring sustainability.
Gübretaş initiated the Turkey Soil Productivity Map Project in 2005 in order to ensure the correct and efficient use of agricultural lands in our country. In this project, it is aimed to create a map of the productivity values of the country’s soils. In this direction, existing quality and quantity information are classified with spatial data and entered as data into sub-areas under locations through the mapping program. Within the scope of the project, which has been carried out for 18 years, soil samples of more than 17 thousand lands from 81 provinces were taken, analyzed and digitized. To date, a total of 17,448 points taken by determining the location with GPS have been analyzed.
Soil samples received from farmers are analyzed and reports including fertilization recommendations are delivered to landowners. With this project, more than 50,000 farmers have been trained in applied soil analysis and conscious plant nutrition.
With 13 types of plant and region-specific fertilizers, significant contributions were made to increase yields in agriculture.
The Soil Productivity Map Project aims to achieve the following objectives:
- To create a database for the future of agricultural production and to create a source for the studies to be carried out in this field by creating a soil fertility map at the macro and micronutrient level according to the geographical regions of our country by transferring GPS coordinates to the digital environment,
- Raising the awareness of producers, especially the partners of Agricultural Credit Cooperatives, and providing scientific advice on fertilization programs for the lands from which soil samples are taken,
- Reporting the results of all soil fertility parameters within the scope of the analysis of the soil sample taken from the producer’s land to the farmers through Gübretaş agricultural engineers and making conscious plant nutrition recommendations in order to contribute to the solution of problems and increase yield,
- As a result of the evaluation of the data obtained, to develop special fertilizers with balanced and rich content for plants and agricultural regions that are important in the national economy,
- To contribute to the formation of a large database on the country’s agriculture by combining the results of the studies conducted by Gübretaş within the scope of this project with the studies conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and universities in this field.
GÜBRETAŞ EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP
The scope of Gübretaş Education Scholarship, which has been awarded to undergraduate students since 2007 in order to support qualified manpower in the agricultural sector, has been expanded as of 2017. Master’s and doctoral students with thesis studying at agricultural faculties have also started to benefit from the scholarship since 2021. In this context, as of the 2021-2022 academic year, a total of 41 agricultural faculties across Turkey provide scholarship support to the children of farmers in need who are pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies.
Since its inception, more than 550 agricultural faculty students have benefited from this project, which currently provides scholarships to approximately 80 undergraduate and graduate agricultural faculty students.
CONSCIOUS AGRICULTURAL TRAINING
Gübretaş organizes training meetings for producers and agricultural engineers in the field of plant nutrition in line with its mission “To add fertility to our soils by expanding conscious agricultural production”. During training meetings, producers are informed about the basic principles of balanced fertilization, plant nutrition techniques and soil analysis. The aim of these training activities is to enable agricultural producers to grow high-yielding and high quality products that can compete in world markets, and to increase profitability by optimizing input costs, especially fertilizers.
CONSULTANCY SERVICES IN THE FIELD
“Creating a plant nutrition prescription” has an important place among Gübretaş’s field consultancy services for the implementation of plant nutrition programs prepared according to scientific methods for producers. In this context, our specialized agricultural engineers observe the fields and make plant nutrition recommendations specific to the producer. In 2022, 10.257 producers were provided with prescription services in their fields, contributing to the dissemination of conscious plant nutrition in agricultural production.
MOBILE CONSULTANCY SERVICES
In addition to face-to-face consultancy services, Gübretaş also reaches producers through mobile communication channels. With live phone connection, mobile hotline and EGP mobile application, producers can receive support from Gübretaş expert agricultural engineers on agricultural production from wherever and whenever they want. In 2022, a total of 5.959 producers, 3.480 from mobile hotlines and 2.479 from EGP mobile application, were informed by our expert agricultural engineers.
MODEL PRODUCTION AREAS PROJECT
The Model Production Areas Project, one of Gübretaş’s important activities to increase conscious agricultural production, aims to produce solutions to increase yield and quality in agricultural production through plant nutrition according to scientific methods. Another goal of the project is to achieve maximum yield with optimum fertilizer consumption. Thus, it is aimed to prevent waste of resources by preventing excessive fertilizer consumption and to protect our soils, which are our most valuable treasure.
Fertilization programs in model fields are determined according to the results of soil analysis. Model fields/gardens are constantly controlled by expert engineers during the production period and the results obtained are shared with the producers in the region through field days. Plant nutrition programs used in model fields are transformed into a document called “Effective Fertilization Programs” by Gübretaş and made available to all farmers through various communication channels.
In 2022, 23 model production areas were established. While yield increases of up to 100 percent were achieved in some of these areas compared to the leading producer, an average yield difference of nearly 24 percent was obtained from all areas.
CONSCIOUS PRODUCER FILMS
In order to spread conscious plant nutrition practices in agricultural production to large masses and to promote our services, films under the concept of “Conscious Producer” and “Tricks of Plant Nutrition” were prepared and presented to producers.
Films prepared under these concepts were made available to producers through many digital communication channels (Youtube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, EGP, Gübretaş corporate website, etc.).
