Entrepreneurial back-to-landers: Neo-farmers in Turkey

Abstract

Urban-to-rural migration, particularly back-to-land migration, has become prominent in Turkey. This paper focuses on entrepreneurial back-to-landers or neo-farmers, who have migrated to rural areas specifically to get into commercial agriculture and farming. Through an analysis of semi-structured interviews with 72 neo-farmers, the paper identifies six critical attributes that aid them during entry into farming and later on, when they are running successful farm businesses: possession of financial wealth; ownership of agricultural land; familiarity with agro-food sectors; education (in agricultural and/or food sciences); experience with corporate conduct; and active connections to the local and/or national organizations associated with the food movement. The paper argues that these attributes feature entrepreneurial skills, experience and connections, which in turn provide neo-farmers with economic, social, and cultural capital and comparative advantages to run their farm businesses. Through the case, the paper shows that one, the direction of capital flows, which historically has been rural-to-urban, may change to urban-to-rural (and from non-agricultural sectors to agriculture) through entrepreneurial back-to-land migration; and two, entrepreneurial skills have become vital for smallholders – newcomer or continuer – if agriculture is going to be their primary income generating activity.