Evaluation of the metropolitan law in terms of rural development services and the sustainability of agricultural activities: the case of Antalya province

In the past, due to changes in the legal and institutional structure of local governance practices in Türkiye, various public institutions—such as Special Provincial Administrations and Village Services—undertook responsibilities alongside municipalities in the provision of rural development services. In 2012, with the enactment of Law No. 6360, 30 provinces were granted metropolitan municipality (Büyükşehir) status, and the administrative boundaries of municipal service areas were extended to encompass the entire provincial and district administrative borders. In this context, new areas of authority were assigned to metropolitan municipalities for the continuation of rural and agricultural services. Consequently, both metropolitan and district municipalities were entrusted with new fiscal and administrative responsibilities in providing rural and agricultural services, due to the incorporation of rural areas into urban municipal jurisdictions. The aim of this study is to analyze, in the case of Antalya Province, the effectiveness of rural development services in villages that were transformed into neighborhoods or rural neighborhoods after the enactment of Law No. 6360 (based on the views of village headmen), the administrative effectiveness of rural service delivery by municipalities (district and metropolitan), and the sustainability level of agricultural activities and the legal-regulatory factors affecting this sustainability (based on the views of agricultural producers). To evaluate the impact of the law on the sustainability of agriculture, surveys were conducted with 150 producers (50 engaged in open-field and orchard farming, 50 in livestock activities, and 50 in greenhouse cultivation). To assess the effect of the law on rural development services, surveys were conducted with 300 village headmen. Additionally, surveys were carried out through interview schedules with 14 district municipalities to determine the administrative implications of the law. Based on the SAFA (2013) guidelines developed by FAO, sustainability indices were calculated across four dimensions: governance, economic, environmental, and social. Furthermore, the factors affecting sustainability were identified using binary probit analysis. According to the research findings, the overall sustainability index was calculated as 0.42, indicating a "moderate level of sustainability" (close to limited sustainability). This suggests that, when all production activities in the study area are considered collectively, the level of sustainability is risky but improvable. Among all sustainability dimensions, the lowest index scores were observed in the economic dimension. The village headmen evaluated the effectiveness of municipalities' rural development services as low. They also emphasized the need for improvements in areas such as authority of headmen, infrastructure, education, and agricultural support. Following the enactment of Law No. 6360, the administrative capacity of district municipalities in managing rural services has improved and become significantly more effective. In this context, enhancing institutional capacity for the implementation of the legal framework and clarifying institutional roles are necessary for more effective and integrated delivery of services to rural areas.