The importance of agricultural sector in regional development: The case of Siirt province

Agriculture is a process that expresses how humans manage their ecosystems and control the biological cycles of domesticated species. Thanks to agriculture, it can produce useful foods and other resources for communities. It determines all the know-how and activities related to the cultivation of the soil, and more generally, all the work on the natural environment, makes it possible to grow and collect living things (plants, animals). In rural areas around the world, agriculture represents the dominant land use and an important component of the viability of rural areas. Agriculture and related activities form the basic fabric of rural life, contributing significantly to the general condition of rural areas in terms of employment and job opportunities, the quality of the infrastructure and the environment. However, in most economically developed countries, agriculture accounts for a relatively small proportion of a diversified rural economy, and in addition, the importance of agriculture in terms of national wealth and employment declines in most regions. This does not diminish the potential role of agriculture in rural development in these countries, but the contribution of alternative economic activities that can provide permanent expectations for employment and economic progress should also be included. In the context of this study, in the regional development process, the agricultural sector was examined in the province of Siirt. Although agriculture is considered as an extremely important sector in the province of Siirt, it is understood that this importance can not be used adequately.