The 177th anniversary of the beginning of agricultural education was celebrated with a program organized by the KAEU Faculty of Agriculture. Rector of KAEU Prof Dr. Vatan Karakaya, Kırşehir Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Duran Seçen, General Manager of Kırşehir Sugar Factory Yavuz Erence, Dean of Faculty of Agriculture Prof Dr. Ahmet Kazankaya, Faculty Member of Faculty of Agriculture Prof. Dr. Rüştü Hatipoğlu, academician and administrative staff, and students attended the online celebration program, took place on January 10th, 2023.

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kazankaya, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, who made the opening speech of the program, noted that the transition to agricultural education in our country started in 1846 and that the Faculties of Agriculture made significant contributions to agriculture. Emphasizing that the efforts of the Faculties of Agriculture to meet the demand for qualified labor in the field of food, agriculture, and animal husbandry were important, Kazankaya said that KAUE was also a pilot university in the field of agriculture and geothermal and that they would continue to work for the development and progress of Turkish agriculture.

Rector Karakaya: "The Importance of Food Supply and Safety Has Been Recognized With the Pandemic"

After the speech of the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kazankaya, the Rector of KAEU Prof. Dr. Vatan Karakaya made a speech. In his speech, Rector Karakaya celebrated the 177th anniversary of the Beginning of Agricultural Education and said that agriculture had an important place in the economic and social field for every country. Noting that the importance of agricultural production had increased recently both in the world and in our country, Prof. Dr. Vatan Karakaya emphasized that agriculture was carried out in a more modern way. Adding to his speech that the importance of food supply and safety was understood thanks to the pandemic period, Karakaya noted that they transformed the strategic five goals of the 11th Development Plan in greenhouse vegetable cultivation into projects with their R&D and UR-GE (Supporting the Development of International Competitiveness) activities.

Rector Karakaya: "We Have Local, National and International Activities in Agriculture"

Rector Karakaya stated that they followed policies that would produce solutions to the regional, national, and international problems and added; "We produce roughage on an area of ​​7500 decares locally, we have drawn a walnut climate map and created various employment areas, we are looking for solutions to imported issues in the national arena, and we find a place in the international arena with EU projects. We are looking for ways that give investors confidence and reduce their input. In a sense, we are aiming for low-cost, high-quality products. This year, we are introducing nearly 50 projects and meeting more investors. We want our country to be well-positioned in the new world.".

Kırşehir Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Seçen: ''Kırşehir Meets 4% of Barley Need of Turkiye''

Duran Seçen, Kırşehir Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry, took the floor after Prof. Dr. Vatan Karakaya. He made a presentation on Agriculture and Implemented Projects in Kırşehir. Stating that Kırşehir has wide fields, Seçen said; “In Kırşehir, conscious agriculture is carried out with the right equipment. Our bovine and ovine numbers are at a good level, Kırşehir supplies 4% of Turkey's barley need, and farming is carried out in an area of 2 million 600 thousand dekares. Our problems are that the young population is decreasing in the villages, it is necessary to focus on products that will increase added value, and we have limited water resources.". Duran concluded by stating that they provided grants and seed support.

Erence, General Manager of Kırşehir Sugar Factory: “We are planning to Open a Forage and Sunflower Factory”

Yavuz Erence, General Manager of Kırşehir Sugar Factory, took the floor at the panel. Erence, while giving information about sugar production, stated that the sugar beet economy in Turkey was based on the 60-65 billion band. Noting that 110 thousand tons of sugar were produced annually at the factory, Erence announced that their target was one million tons with the renewals they had made. Noting that they were in contract with 2800 farmers in Kırşehir, Director Yavuz Erence said that that number would increase every year with the new feed and sunflower factory they were planning to open.

The panel ended with a presentation on Global Climate Change and Food Security by the Faculty Member of Field Crops of the Faculty of Agriculture Prof. Dr. Rüştü Hatipoğlu.