The "Sustainable Livestock, Cost Management and Efficiency Workshop" organized by Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (MAKÜ) was held with intense participation. In the workshop held at Lavanta Tepesi Hotel, academics, sector representatives, and producers came together to discuss the future of livestock.
In the workshop hosted by MAKÜ, which specializes in livestock, critical topics such as productivity increase, cost management, feed crop production, and sustainable agricultural practices were addressed.
“Increasing productivity is the key to breaking out of this cycle”
In his opening speech at the workshop, Rector Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Dalgar drew attention to the global challenges faced by the livestock sector and emphasized the importance of increasing productivity.
Rector Dalgar stated that cost pressures in agriculture and livestock are increasing, saying, “Today we are facing a global cost and production pressure. The way out of this cycle is through increasing productivity. We must produce more with the same resources,” he said.
Expressing that genetics and care-feeding issues are the fundamental determinants of the sector, Rector Dalgar stated that they are conducting significant studies in this field as a university. Emphasizing that MAKÜ is a pioneer in domestic embryo production in Turkey, Dalgar said that studies aimed at developing high-yield animal breeds have been successfully implemented in the field.
Rector Dalgar also stated that it is essential to provide suitable care and feeding conditions for animals with high genetic capacity to achieve the desired yield, expressing that this transformation will be accelerated with the planned modern farm models.
“Our priority is to reflect science in the field”
Dr. Mustafa Altuğ Atalay, General Director of Agricultural Research and Policies, who spoke at the workshop, stated that agricultural policies are shaped in light of scientific data.
General Director Atalay expressed that they conduct studies directly aimed at the needs of the country rather than the understanding of “science for the sake of science,” saying, “Our goal is to produce solutions that have counterparts in the field, in accordance with the policies of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The collaborations we have established with our universities are of great importance in this regard.”
Emphasizing that the collaborations carried out with MAKÜ are extremely productive, Atalay stated that the university stands out with both its academic knowledge and practical capacity.
Pointing out that livestock is one of Turkey's chronic problem areas, General Director Atalay stated that despite this, Turkey holds a strong position in agricultural production. Stating that a significant level of sufficiency has been achieved in meat production, General Director Atalay said that the main problems in the sector include the young population moving away from agriculture and risks arising from climate change.
General Director Atalay stated that technology plays a critical role at this point, expressing that smart agricultural practices, digitalization, and the dissemination of biotechnological developments need to be promoted.
Three main themes were addressed
Three main topics were discussed during the workshop. In the first session, feed management, feed costs, and economic efficiency in animal production were addressed; in the second session, drought-resistant feed crops and resource use were evaluated within the framework of climate change. In the third session, sustainable livestock policies, incentive mechanisms, and institutional collaborations were discussed.
Additionally, topics such as the development of alternative feed sources, reduction of production costs, and the dissemination of digital agriculture practices were discussed in detail during the event.
Will guide the sector
The workshop conducted under the leadership of MAKÜ is expected to make significant contributions to the livestock sector at both regional and national levels.
The event, which brings together academia, the public, and producers on the same platform, aims to contribute to the development of sustainable livestock policies and to guide the future of the sector.
