Evaluation of Regional Development Policies in Turkey ’ s Five Years Development Plans

Five years development plans are prepared by State Planning Organization (former name), Ministry of Development. Development Plans are significant policy documents including information about resources of development goals in long term and related regulations to be made in Turkey. Ten different development plans including the years between 1963 and 2018 were prepared. The common basic goal of these plans is: Ensuring a fortunate and prosperous life for Turkish citizens, raising life standards to higher levels. Reaching more prosperous life standards is possible through a long term and systematic development effort. Regions including cities (except metropolis), districts and villages are called rural areas. Efforts for increasing the economic level of people living in rural areas by using and supporting natural resources in these areas are named regional development policies. Regional development policies are firstly determined and shaped in development plans. Economic activities in rural areas are mostly based on natural production resources. Regional development is only possible through efficient use of these local resources. The basic goal is to decrease the difference in the level of economic, social and cultural development between development priority regions and the others. The goal of this study is to present the preparations that should be made and focus on present and future problems. Qualitative design document analysis technique is used in this research; local development policies that are mentioned in ten development plans are analyzed. Findings, results and suggestions are presented at the end of the study.


Introduction
Goals of development are being able to meet the demands of public, increase the level of social prosperity and create fields of employment.Sharers of development are cooperation among managements, businessmen and public.Today, Turkish nation is quite willing to develop culturally, economically and socially.Ensuring this goal is possible only through increasing savings and investments.Development plans show resources that be utilized efficiently, organizations to be planned and precautions to be taken in order to reach the goals as a whole.The basic goals of development plans are to increase productivity and export, to increase the shares of agricultural development and industrial production, increase employment, decrease unemployment, change the share of income in favor of low income groups, support and accelerate development of underdeveloped regions with natural resources.
Three basic elements of rural development are industrialization, modernization in agriculture and urbanization (SPO, 1968, p. 263).These factors should be taken into consideration along with the policy decisions.Urbanization tendency should be supported with industrialization.Although Turkey has significant natural resources, there are inequalities among regions in terms of volume of activity and income level.Some places in the country are especially economically underdeveloped.It is not possible to determine these areas with absolute geographic borders.While there may be underdeveloped parts in a developed region, there may also be developed areas in an underdeveloped region.
One of the factors of development is to end and prevent inequalities among regions (SPO, 1963, p. 527).Not being able to establish sustainable and permanent basis for rural development increases differences in terms of the level of welfare between rural and urban areas and causes rural depopulation.Rural development policies are significantly emphasized in development plans.For this purpose, regional development goals for the priority regions for development are mentioned under seperate titles and related suggestions are made.

Regional Development Policies
The concept of regional development means the effort to transform low economic and social structures to industrialized social structures (SPO, 1972, p. 97).Rural areas with fertile soil and irrigation opportunities are more densely populated than the areas without these opportunities.Difficult topographic and climate conditions may decrease fertility in agricultural production, which decreases population.Goals of regional development are; increasing life standards of farmers, industrialization, efficient use of technology, solving the problem of unemployment, enhancing income distribution, increasing export, meeting the nutrition demands of population (SPO, 1972, pp. 208-209).
There are 49 priority regions for development in 2017.Cities in which per capita income is lower than 1500$ are included in the priority regions for development (SPO, 2006, p. 46).These regions are 36% of total country population and 55% of total surface area.Problems and development priorities of regions are different from one another.Regional development policies are planned in order to decrease development differences.
A regional development policy is made of five factors: 1) Transportation and communication substructure should be supported and strengthened.
2) Water resources should be developed.
3) Land ownership and use should be improved.4) Local administrations should be strengthened.5) Human resources should be supported and developed.While determining regional development plans, firstly the current situation is analyzed in terms of sectors and resources.Superior features of a region are evaluated by comparing it with other regions.Every region has special opportunities and problems.After this first step, regional development strategies are created.Middle and long term regional development plans are prepared in line with the regional development strategies.These plans should reflect local demands, ensure connection among sectors and develop a vision for the region.Region resources are attempted to be supported and utilized through development plans; thus, economic and social structure improves, new employment opportunities occur, income level increases and migration decreases.Plan (1963Plan ( -1967) ) The main problems in this period were squatting and increasing unemployment levels, which were resourced from rapid urbanization (SPO, 1963, p. 28).In this plan period, these solutions were mentioned as regional development policy instruments:

The First Five Years Development
-Investments should be supported and increased in order to solve the problem of unemployment.Import substitution investments should be increased.Significant steps should be taken in order to support the establishment of facilities by private sector in underdeveloped regions and in order to decrease production costs.Low establishment costs, affordable energy and credit, lower taxes and industrial estates should be ensured (SPO, 1963, p. 58).
-Fertilization and income in agriculture should be increased.Fertilizers and good seeds and proper pesticides should be used.Government should establish roads, increase opportunities for obtaining energy, communication and marketing; technical support should be given and land reforms should be made (SPO, 1963, p. 60).
-Education on agriculture and related publishing processes are the basic significant of local development.Increasing the knowledge of peasants and correcting production techniques are significant points (SPO, 1963, p. 102).
-The order of land ownership should be reformed and lands should be used properly in order to obtain and maintain maximum yield.Precautions should be taken in order to protect lands from water and soil erosion (SPO, 1963, p. 174).
-Investments should be made in order to use water distribution canals and irrigation facilities properly (SPO, 1963, p. 176).
-Vegetative production and husbandry should be made together in agriculture facilities (SPO, 1963, p. 182), husbandry facilities should be supported, and livestock and meat exportation should be increased (SPO, 1963, p. 182).
-Crafts such as weaving, stone dressing, the art of tile making should be supported and developed (SPO, 1963, p. 364).Turkish carpet business and handicrafts should be supported in order to be able to enter foreign markets (SPO, 1963, p. 361).Handicrafts will contribute to obtain significant additional income for agriculture population.
-Variety of agricultural materials should be increased and aquaculture exportation should be expanded.
-Income through tourism should be increased by supporting related organizations.
-Mercantile marine income should be increased.
-Production instruments should be produced in Turkish facilities.Plan (1968Plan ( -1972) ) In this period, it was especially mentioned that Turkey had to accelerate industrialization process and increase foreign trade volume.Young and dynamic population, fertile lands, variety of natural resources were the most significant factors affecting the development process (SPO, 1968, p. 42).In this plan period, these regional development policy instruments are mentioned as solutions:

The Second Five Years Development
-Fertilization, irritation and use of certified seed increases agricultural production export (SPO, 1968, p. 92).
-Roads, schools, electric, irrigation water opportunities should be given to villages (SPO, 1968, p. 235).More vets, agricultural engineers, teachers and doctors should serve in villages.
-Problems based on technology, production instruments, marketing should be solved through cooperatives in order to increase agricultural production (SPO, 1968, p. 235).Producers and markets should be more directly connected.
-Farmers should be supported in order to grow different kinds of products, especially forage crops (SPO, 1968, p. 248).
-Water resources, forage and forests in villages should be protected.
-Resources that can be developed and used in these regions should be determined and advertized, investors should be informed (SPO, 1968, p. 269).
-Developed Technologies should be used instead of traditional methods in agriculture.For this purpose, small scale industries producing agriculture instruments should be prioritized in the process of development (SPO, 1968, p. 544).
-Turkish handicrafts should be supported as a source of income (SPO, 1968, p. 545).
-Dependence of agriculture on weather conditions should be decreased, technical services in production should be developed.
-Farmers should have more affordable input.Plan (1973Plan ( -1977) ) Policies that were planned to be carried out in priority regions for development are; -Developing breeding, dairies, poultry husbandry and stock projects are significant (SPO, 1972, p. 251).

The Third Five Years Development
-Farmer families who haven't got any lands or the ones who have got small lands should be supported in order to make more production or obtain efficiency (SPO, 1972, p. 913).
-Health care facilities, basic education and regional primary boarding schools, vaccination and artificial insemination stations, PTT branches should be established in villages (SPO, 1972, p. 865).
-Inputs that increase yield such as fertilizers, seeds, pesticides should be used and irrigation should be developed, higher technology should be efficiently used, forage and grain agriculture should be developed (SPO, 1972, p. 210).
-Connection between agricultural production and food industry should be established and used (SPO, 1972, p. 211).
-Increasing production in agriculture is possible by using soil according to its features.Increasing the number of analytical laboratories which will ensure fertilizer-plant-soil unity should be increased, they should be developed in order to ease the work of farmers (SPO, 1972, p. 253).
-Government should support fighting with animal diseases, give priorities to priority regions for development in terms of stockfarming and establishing meat industries (SPO, 1972, p. 253).
-Agricultural products should be a part of insurance coverage.Plan (1979Plan ( -1983) ) Main regional development policies included in this development plan are presented below;

The Fourth Five Years Development
-Public enterprises such as apiculture, silkworm-breeding, poultry husbandry should be supported and extended; new projects should be designed and applied in order to decrease unemployment (SPO, 1979, p. 4).
-Cultivable soil should be used efficiently in order to grow proper vegetables (SPO, 1979, p. 228).
-Irrigation, soil protection and reformation processes should be practiced properly in order to increase yield (SPO, 1979, p. 228).
-Turkey is very suitable for animal husbandry as it has significant natural resources and forages.Demand of increasing population and exportation potential of animal products are significant factors which necessitate increasing animal husbandry (SPO, 1979, p. 357).
-Irrigation techniques that ensure water saving should be prioritized.
-Slaughtering animals before proper periods should be prevented.
-Production of fish according to the features of inland water should be encouraged.
-Agriculture based industry should be developed, road connections should be enhanced.
-Private entrepreneurs focusing on using regional resources efficiently should be encouraged.
-Use of fertilizers based on soil analysis should be extended.
-Tourism and foreign mercantile marine should be developed.Plan (1985Plan ( -1989) ) Main regional development policies included in this development plan are presented below; -Agriculture and animal husbandry investments focusing on meeting the demands of neighboring countries should be increased (SPO, 1984, p. 32).

The Fifth Five Years Development
-Public investments on agriculture should focus on irrigation, drainage and soil improvement.
-Producing and using quality seed should be prioritized.
-Integrated facilities for meat and egg poultry should be established and supported (SPO, 1984, p. 40).
-Private sector investments should be directed towards animal breeding, fruit nursery, seed growing, greenhouse cultivation and floriculture for exporting (SPO, 1984, p. 53).Plan (1990Plan ( -1994) ) Main regional development policies included in this development plan period are presented below; -Land consolidation of agricultural lands should be prioritized (SPO, 1989, p. 51).

The Sixth Five Years Development
-Oily seeds and industrial crops development programs should be encouraged, forage legumes plantation areas should be extended (SPO, 1989, p. 52).
-Planting a second kind of seed should be encouraged; quality, fertile raw vegetable and fruits cultivation, greenhouse cultivation and floriculture should be encouraged and supported (SPO, 1989, p. 52).
-Use of tractor and agricultural machines should be increased and production of them should be encouraged (SPO, 1989, p. 226).
-Working in new production lines in rural areas should be encouraged and nonagricultural economic activity branches should be supported (SPO, 1989, p. 321).
-Informal education programs should be diversified in order to increase educational and cultural level of families living in agricultural regions (SPO, 1989, p. 321).
-Agricultural product support prices should be determined in a way that they provide stability in farmer income.

2.7
The Seventh Five Years Development Plan (1996Plan ( -2000) ) In this plan period, it was mentioned that agricultural lands had been reduced because of the use of agricultural lands for non-agricultural purposes and erosion (SPO, 1995, p. 57).It was determined and mentioned that income of employees working in agricultural fields was below the income of employees in other sectors (SPO, 1995, p. 57).Regional development policy instruments in this plan period are mentioned below; -Increasing irrigated lands, using quality stock and seed, making soil analysis, using fertilizers and technical equipments properly, carrying out agricultural pest control and common education activities are the main goals (SPO, 1995, p. 60).
-In order to solve the problem of unemployment in development priority regions, growing fruits and vegetables, industrial plants, husbandry, and similar processes should be supported.Industries that will support processing of these products should be established (SPO, 1995, p. 175).
-Activities such as husbandry, agriculture, handicrafts based on the features of the region should be supported (SPO, 1995, p. 175).
-Contractual cultivation will be extended.
-Counseling and guiding services for entrepreneurship will be given.
-Establishing of industries which support production of industrial crops which have high additional value should be supported; industries which process these products should be established.Plan (2001Plan ( -2005) ) The main problems of previous periods such as lack of quality workforce, entrepreneurship and incompetency in marketing were still significant in this period (SPO, 2000, p. 62).Regional development policies of this plan period are stated below; -Skill courses and vocational courses should be extended (SPO, 2000, p. 70).

The Eighth Five Years Development
-Developing family-owned businesses will be supported and accelerated (SPO, 2000, p. 70).
-Lack of agricultural studies, publishing and education, non-professional fertilization and use of pesticides, stubble burning and fallowing have negative effect on agriculture (SPO, 2000, p. 71).
-Agriculture based industry, packaging, storage and marketing methods should be technically supported (SPO, 2000, p. 71), transportation infrastructure should be improved.
-Local radio and television channels should be supported in order to contribute to the education of people in the region.
-Female population's knowledge and abilities should be increased through courses.Plan (2007Plan ( -2013) ) In this period, firstly current situation was determined and analyzed.Low yield per animal and insufficient forage crop production were significant problems (SPO, 2006, p. 31).Energy and zero rate land supports were given (SPO, 2006, p. 46).Development Agencies for local and regional development were established in order to develop cooperation between private, public and civil society organizations (SPO, 2006, p. 47).European Union supported regional development programs were held (SPO, 2006, p. 48).Regional development policy instruments mentioned in this plan period are presented below;