The effect of agricultural support on the economic sustainability of agricultural enterprises

The aim of this study is to research the economic sustainability of agricultural enterprises and the effect of public support on them. Konya province, which is one of the most important agricultural areas in Turkey, was chosen as the study area. A survey was undertaken covering 181 enterprises identified using the stratified sampling method. The phenomenon of sustainable income was defined in order to determine the economic sustainability of agricultural enterprises. The study results, based on the average, suggest that sustainable income can be achieved without public support. However, the level of sustainable income differs by enterprise size group. It was observed that enterprises in the first and second groups (0-50 da, 51-150 da) are not economically sustainable despite public support. However, some enterprises that have applied intensive farming and livestock production did achieve a sustainable income level. Rural industry must be promoted and demand created, to ensure economic sustainability and prevent socio-economic problems by including livestock production activities, utilizing economies of scale, raising awareness of organizational behavior, developing products suitable for the region’s ecology and economic structure with contract production and dissemination of alternative income-generating production activities.