ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE ADOPTION OF ORGANIC FARMING IN TURKEY: THE CASE OF SAMSUN PROVINCE

Organic farming is an environmentally friendly agricultural system which is very important in terms of the environment, human and plant and animal health Thanks to organic farming, soil and water resources and air are protected from excessive contamination. In this respect, organic farming also contributes to the sustainable use of natural resources. Seen from this perspective, the adoption and application of organic farming by farmers is very important. This research was conducted to determine the factors affecting the adoption of organic farming by farmers. The study was executed in the Bafra district of Samsun province in Turkey. Within the context of the study, face-to-face administration of a questionnaire to a total of 54 farmers from nine different villages was performed. The proportional sampling method was used to determine the number of producers to be surveyed. It was determined that the most important factors are the health factors for farmers to adopt organic farming. They are followed by environmental protection factors, economic factors, social factors and innovativeness factors. All the farmers participating in the current study were determined to want to go on with organic farming in the future.