Agricultural Ecosystem Dominance Turkey's Food Sovereignty Crisis in the Era of Seeds, Data, and Precision Agriculture
— Abstract
This report is the second publication of EHPAGM's "Ecosystem Dominance Policies in Turkey" research programme. It presents a structural analysis of the multi-layered agricultural sovereignty crisis operating on Turkey's 38.6 million hectares of agricultural land and 2.32 million registered farmers. The report systematically examines four dependency dimensions: (i) seeds and genetic resources — global oligopoly (Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta, BASF controlling 56% of the commercial seed market); (ii) agricultural inputs — 95% import dependency in chemical fertilizer raw materials; (iii) precision and digital farming platforms; (iv) global market integration. Original conceptual contributions: Asymmetric Agricultural Dependency (AAD) framework, Agricultural Biopolitical Apparatus concept, Food Sovereignty Deficit (FSD), and Displaced Agricultural Resources typology. The theoretical framework synthesises La Via Campesina's food sovereignty concept, Papatya's Ecosystem Marketing and Biopolitical Production frameworks, with agricultural data capitalism analyses by Clapp & Ruder, Sykuta, and Fraser. A 12-point Food Sovereignty Policy Architecture is proposed.
Key Findings
- Turkey's 2.32 million farmers and 38.6 million hectares of farmland face a multi-layered food sovereignty crisis under global oligopoly pressure
- 56% of the global commercial seed market is controlled by four firms (Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta, BASF) — Turkey is structurally embedded in this chain
- 95% import dependency in chemical fertilizer raw materials, 95% in soy, 50-55% in corn; total 2024 agricultural imports reached USD 23.2 billion
- Asymmetric Agricultural Dependency (AAD) framework developed across four structural axes: seeds, inputs, digital platforms, and markets
- 12-point Food Sovereignty Policy Architecture: local seed banks, farmer data ownership, contract farming standards, and strategic input reserves
— Contents
- 00 Executive Summary
- 01 Introduction: From Field to Algorithm — The Triple Compression of Turkish Agriculture
- 02 Conceptual Framework: Food Sovereignty, Ecosystem Marketing, and Agricultural Biopolitics
- 03 Structural Profile of Turkish Agriculture: 2.3 Million Farmers, 38.6 Million Hectares, Average Age 59
- 04 Four-Dimensional Dependency Architecture: Seeds, Inputs, Digital Platforms, Markets
- 05 Asymmetric Power Relations: Contract Farming, Patent Regimes, and the Agricultural Biopolitical Apparatus
- 06 Comparative Policy Framework: EU CAP, US Farm Bill, India
- 07 Food Sovereignty Policy Architecture: A 12-Point Intervention Framework
- 08 Conclusion: A Call for Food Sovereignty on Anatolian Soil
- — References
For the full text, download the PDF or view on Zenodo.
— Cite This Publication
This policy report is published under open access. Please use one of the following citation formats.
Papatya, N., & Papatya, İ. K. (2026). Agricultural Ecosystem Dominance: Turkey's Food Sovereignty Crisis in the Era of Seeds, Data, and Precision Agriculture (Policy Report No. 02/2026; Version 1.0). EHPAGM — Ekosistem Hakimiyeti Politikaları Araştırma ve Geliştirme Merkezi. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20335858
Papatya, Nurhan, and İlbey Kutluhan Papatya. "Agricultural Ecosystem Dominance: Turkey's Food Sovereignty Crisis in the Era of Seeds, Data, and Precision Agriculture." EHPAGM, May 2026, doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20335858.
Papatya, Nurhan, and İlbey Kutluhan Papatya. 2026. "Agricultural Ecosystem Dominance: Turkey's Food Sovereignty Crisis in the Era of Seeds, Data, and Precision Agriculture." EHPAGM Policy Report 02/2026, Version 1.0. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20335858.
@techreport{papatya202602,
author = {Papatya, Nurhan and Papatya, İlbey Kutluhan},
title = {Agricultural Ecosystem Dominance: Turkey's Food Sovereignty Crisis in the Era of Seeds, Data, and Precision Agriculture},
institution = {EHPAGM — Ekosistem Hakimiyeti Politikaları Araştırma ve Geliştirme Merkezi},
type = {Policy Report},
number = {02/2026},
year = {2026},
month = {May},
version = {1.0},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20335858},
url = {https://zenodo.org/records/20335858},
language = {tr}
}