The use of local seeds in the protection of agricultural biodiversity (Example of Ayaş district of Ankara)

Preserving biodiversity today and ensuring food future the importance of local seeds the use of small farmers is increasingly recognized. Traditional varieties are important for the preservation of the country's agricultural biodiversity and for the sustainability of agriculture. Turkey farmers are slowly becoming dependent on the seed industry and local farmers' varieties are eliminated. This study is based on Ayas tomato which is part of a rich agricultural bio-variety of Turkey. In this study, the awareness and behavior of Ayaş tomato production, local seed use, local seed production and conservation of local varieties in Ayaş district of Ankara province in 2017 were tried to be revealed. We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of local varieties production on agriculture producers. The main material for this work has been collected from the survey filled by producers in 2017 in Ayas. A survey was conducted with 167 tomato producers. The data is analyzed with chi square distribution. It is observed that there is meaningful relationship between local seed usage versus immigration, education, olericulture preference, know-how on seed selection, sustaining traditional method, training next generation and using social media and other related connections has been investigated. They state that although producers have a high level of awareness on the subject, they cannot do much in the face of the functioning of the system. It is seen that besides the expectations from the producer, a system that will increase the awareness and support of the relevant managers, the awareness of the consumers and the demand for good products is required for the use of domestic seeds and the continuity of production. When the value of the ancestry seeds is well understood by all three sectors: producers, consumers and managers, food sustainability and food safety will be provided exactly for producers and consumers as well as the sustainability of national agriculture.