Social learning in organic farming and conventional farming: A comparative analysis

The aim of this study is to reveal the importance of social learning in the learning process in organic agriculture and conventional agricultural enterprises and to analyze it comparatively. The primary data obtained as a result of the survey conducted with 120 farmers determined according to the Simple Random Sampling Method from Gaziantep center and surrounding districts constitute the main material of this study. According to the findings, it has been determined that conventional farmers are in more communication with their neighbors about production techniques and strategies than their organic farming counterparts. It has been observed that they tend to learn mainly from family elders and experienced farmers as traditional sources of knowledge. The majority of farmers (66.7%) think that agricultural production can be learned by watching and observing. Village meetings are seen as an important platform for discussing agricultural production problems and presenting solution suggestions. This study reveals that there are significant differences in the knowledge acquisition and social learning processes between organic and conventional farmers in Gaziantep province. The findings support the assumption that organic farmers may tend to obtain information from more formal and perhaps more modern sources. The results of the study show that local and national agricultural policies should adopt a diversified and dynamic approach in line with the changing information needs of farmers.