Betterment of Soil database, integration with natural and artificial environment and agricultural Land Use Planning

The Turkish planning system is lack of macro-scale spatial plans at national and regional levels as well as micro-scale land use plans at local levels for rural areas, which are to be produced for pursuant to the Act Nr. 5403 on Soil Protection and Land Use Planning. The prime provisions of the Act Nr. 5403 on Soil Protection and Land Use Plans envisage the development of prototype projects for agricultural enterprises and micro-level settlements as well as promotion of their extensive use with appropriate applications and adjustments to local conditions. Integration of land consolidation, irrigation and crop pattern projects with agricultural and rural development and land use planning initiatives is another issue which has to be associated with location decisions for agro-based industrial sites and zones in ensuring economy/ecology balance and fulfilling the requirements of sustainability principle in development planning. In the very near future, a start will be given to the production of spatial and land use plans in selected agricultural and rural areas in priority provinces of Turkey which will gradually be extended to the rest of the provinces in the country. Present endeavors of the General Directorate for Agricultural Reform of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock in this regard are all oriented towards the preparation of the planning methodology, elaborations in the pilot vicinities, and scheduling of the planning program.