The role of metropolitan municipalities in agricultural activities and their cooperation with cooperatives in Turkey: The case of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality

The Law No. 6360, dated 2012, which envisages significant changes in the structure of metropolitan municipalities, is still one of the most discussed regulations in the field of local governments. Considering the period from March 2014 when this Law was put into effect, the positive and negative aspects of the changes it brought in the metropolitan municipality management system can be evaluated in more detail within the framework of the new duties and responsibilities imposed on the metropolitan municipality, such as extensive agricultural activities. In this study, the agricultural dimension of the transformation of the metropolitan municipalities has been discussed within the scope of the organisational works of the metropolitan municipalities in this area, the support and training activities they have given to agricultural and livestock producers, their cooperation, especially with cooperatives, the projects they have completed or continued for agriculture and livestock, and the early effetcs of agricultural activites in question have been tried to be explained. In the case of Izmir metropolitan municipality, which is one of our metropolitan municipalities that works effectively in agricultural activities for local development, the issue has been discussed on a more concrete basis. As a result of the study, the changes and improvements that should be made in terms agricultural activities for local development in the Law No. 6360 and the implementation of this Law have been discussed and some suggestions have been made.