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The Future Is in Farming
Source language: Turkish

Tomorrow's Farmers Are Trained in the Field

TARIMKON Proje Ekibi 16 October 2026 · 3 min read · 35 views

Precision farming can be explained on a screen, but it is learned in the field. The campaign's fifth theme rests on the idea that new technologies and climate adaptation should be taught on the farm, not only in the classroom. In 2026 the project put this idea into practice through several kinds of training.

Why the field?

A presentation on local agricultural training models criticises the top-down extension work of past decades, in which knowledge was prepared at a desk and passed on to farmers who were expected simply to listen. It argues that a farmer is not a blank slate but an experienced adult who needs practical answers to real problems rather than abstract theory. Training should therefore be built around problems, not subjects: not "Soil Science" but "Why doesn't your soil hold water?" It also notes that farming truths of ten years ago no longer hold because of drought, so local training should focus on adapting to changing conditions.

Field-based training in the project

The training of trainers on smart and precision farming under climate change and water scarcity took place in Ankara on 8-12 May 2026. Applicants were asked to complete the project's LMS modules beforehand, and agriculture students and farmers were given priority. The fourth day was spent in a walnut orchard in Polatlı, where participants examined sensor systems, irrigation and the use of pH meters in the field. On the last day, working groups drafted policy proposals based on the needs of different regions.

The young farmer training sessions followed the same approach. The Sakarya session ran on 12-14 June 2026; according to the announcement it was planned as three days and 15 hours in total, was limited to 25 participants and was free of charge. The announced programme covered GPS systems, automated machinery, drone-assisted field observation, sensor-based monitoring and data analytics, in theory and in practice. According to the activity video, the Şanlıurfa session took place on 3-5 July 2026. A three-day programme that began in Ankara on 26 September 2026 planned sessions on irrigation management based on soil and crop data, variable-rate fertilisation and remote sensing. The project contract foresees training for 25 young farmers in each of the five provinces, 125 in total.

Advocacy is a field skill too

At the sustainable precision farming advocacy training held in Ankara on 10-12 April 2026 with 25 participants, trainees practised observation, interviews, document review and digital data collection, and developed their own indicators for monitoring planning, production and marketing. Agriculture students were given priority when applying. The day-three material teaches how to turn data collected in the field into a message: "Data informs; a message moves people."

Online and face to face

Field training alone cannot reach everyone. The training models presentation recommends blending face-to-face and digital formats: regular field meetings in season, with online support in between. The four modules on the project's LMS (introduction to precision farming and sustainability; smart farming technologies and data management; robotics, drones and AR applications; advocacy and digital campaigns) form the online side of this approach. The project contract also foresees a mobile caravan travelling to villages in the five provinces to deliver 60-minute hands-on training sessions.

The campaign's day-six messages sum up the theme: "Tomorrow's farmers are trained in the field." and "Let's bring new technologies and climate adaptation into hands-on training."

Where and how should practical farm training take place? As an agriculture student, young farmer or trainer, what do you think is missing? Add your suggestion to the discussion in the Digital Advocacy Hub.

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