Evaluation of aquaculture producers' perspectives on producer associations: Çameli example

In this study, the perspectives, problems and satisfaction levels of aquaculture producers in the Çameli district of Denizli province towards producer unions were evaluated and their general attitudes towards producer unions were investigated. A survey was conducted for this research and data was obtained according to survey results. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used in the analysis of the data. When the ages of the participants were examined, it was determined that 25.5% (13 people) were between the ages of 18-35, 52.9% (27 people) were between the ages of 35-50, and 21.6% (11 people) were between the ages of 50-65. When their educational backgrounds were examined, it was determined that 7.8% (4 people) had primary school, 19.6% (10 people) had secondary school, 37.3% (19 people) had high school, 11.8% (6 people) had an associate degree, and 23.5% (12 people) had undergraduate and graduate degrees. 39.7% of the participants stated that they became members of the union "out of necessity," 74.5% stated that the unions did not sufficiently protect their rights and interests, and 86.3% stated that the unions did not meet their expectations. The findings obtained provide important data to understand and improve the current status of rural producer organizations.