Rural area planning and mapping: Burdur province, Kocaaliler town, Türkiye

Rural development is the effort to improve the living conditions of individuals and communities living in rural areas and making a living from the agricultural sector or similar rural professions. This effort should provide material and spiritual support to people living in rural areas to increase their level of development and welfare. Development is not just a material phenomenon. Development is the increase in production of the rural population without harming nature and natural resources, and at the same time, it is their right to access all kinds of services through democratic means. The main focus of rural development is agriculture. When we mention agriculture, crop production, animal husbandry, and aquaculture should come to mind. Depending on the conditions of the rural area, work should be carried out in the fields suitable for whichever branch of agriculture and an increase in production should be achieved. The increase in agricultural activities/production will bring along the need for labor force, thus an increase in the settled population will be targeted. Again, the increase in production will enhance economic and social improvement. Following agriculture, tourism and ecology-based initiatives will increase according to the resource values of the rural area, and consequently, people living in rural areas will have access to modern and comfortable facilities in health, education, and recreation areas. Given the fact that our country is a developing agricultural country, our agricultural lands and rural areas need to be planned and used with sustainable and correct methods. Until recently, we were able to meet our own needs in agricultural production by exporting many agricultural products. However, due to various reasons such as population growth in recent years, global diseases, narrowing of agricultural areas, non-cultivation of existing agricultural areas, and unplanned agricultural production, our country has become an importer of many agricultural products. The Soil Conservation and Land Use Law No. 5403, published in 2005 to protect agricultural areas and sustainable land use, is not fully implemented in practice and misuse of agricultural lands is increasing day by day. Although one of the main purposes of the law in question is to make land use plans, small-scale land use plans could not be made during the intervening period, and with the legislative changes made by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in 2023, work on making land use plans was initiated. These negativities explained allow our rural areas to be researched, analyzed and mapped in shorter periods of time and with high accuracy methods using modern technologies such as Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems. The most used of these analyzes are spatial analyses. In the study conducted, the administrative boundaries of Kocaaliler Town, Bucak District, Burdur Province have been chosen as the material. The aim of the study is to prepare a basis for rural area planning by evaluating the spatial analyses of the area chosen as material with field controls. Within the scope of the mentioned analyses; topography (elevation, slope, aspect), soil (major soil groups), land use capability classes, geological and hydrogeological analyses, climate analysis, plant pattern, and land classification under the Law No. 5403 have been conducted. Generally, it has been concluded that there is a significant potential for agriculture, forest products, and tourism in the study area, and with all these features, it can be prioritized in rural development.