Bursa Agricultural Society (1927) and its journal Asri Çiftçi

Sevtap Kadıoğlu

Bursa Agricultural Society was founded in 1927 in Bursa, a province in Western Anatolia. The aim of the society was to create mutual communication between the farmers, to seek to resolve their problems and to widespread the practice of modern agricultural techniques in the region. To fulfill these goals, the society launched in 1927 a journal Asri Çiftçi (The Modern Farmer). The title of the journal reflects par excellence the aim of the society. Ten issues were published between August 15th, 1927 and May 15th, 1928. The target readership comprised the farmers, agriculturists, the sericulturists and the stockbreeders. Therefore, the articles dealt mostly with the application of farming techniques, and were easy to read. The journal also published articles on the foundation of the Society, its regulations, members and activities. Thus, it can be regarded as a reference publication for the history of the farming in early 20th century Turkey since it informed the reader on the issues affecting the agricultural production in the early years of the Turkish Republic. Published by a society, the journal differentiate from other Turkish agricultural journals that were published by state's educational institutions or ministries. The members of the editorial board and the authors that contributed to the journal were, however, state officials such as the agricultural officers of various districts of Bursa province, the surgeon of the military veterinary hospital, the director of the Bursa chamber of commerce and industry, the head of the comittee to fight against malaria, the Public Health Authority and directors and teachers at the Bursa School of Agriculture, and the School of Sericulture. The journal seems to have been published through the efforts of Sadullah Bey, the secretary of the Society, the editor-in-chief of the journal, and professor at the schools of agriculture and commerce in Bursa. The reasons why and how the society and the journal come to an end still need to be investigated.

Key words: Agriculture, Bursa, farming, journal,, society, Turkey; Anahtar kelimeler: Bursa, cemiyet, çiftçilik, dergi, süreli yayın, tarım, Türkiye, ziraat.