Leaning of organic olive farmers: Case of Aydın province Karpuzlu district

Objective: This study is carried out to determine the awareness of organic farming practices, the level of fulfilment of organic farming conditions, the information and support centres in deciding on organic farming, and the economic analysis of organic olive farming in Karpuzlu district where olive cultivation is intensely practiced in Province Aydın. Material and Methods: The main material of the study is organic olive producers in Karpuzlu district over 0.4 hectares and more organic olive land. During the sampling phase, 71 organic olive farms were identified through stratified sampling and a face-to-face survey is conducted. Consulting preferences of producers on organic olive production are examined by using Fuzzy Paired Comparison method. Results: According to results, it is determined that neighbours and relatives are the first, TV programs are the second, and cooperatives and unions are the third choice (respectively 0.528, 0.513 and 0.504). When the problems experienced by producers in organic olive production are evaluated in general, it is observed that high input prices, diseases and pests and inadequate infrastructure had the highest value. However, it was calculated that agricultural supports, qualified labour and low productivity are the least effective factors in organic olive production. Conclusion: Results from the factor of production (Cobb-Douglas) showed that there are diminishing returns for each factor. It may be concluded that ıf the amount of machine fueloil cost is increased by 1%, the yield was increased by 0,429% and in case of an increase in the use of labour by 1%, the gross production value of organic olives are increased by 0,613%. The return to scale obtained from the sum of the production elasticity is found to be 1,042.