18/08/2026
The “Future Leading Farmers Training and Certification Program,” implemented in collaboration with Sabancı University and Türkiye İş Bankası, commenced with its first day of sessions held on Sabancı University's Tuzla Campus. The program, attended by 17 young farmer candidates from various universities and departments across Türkiye, will bring together young people with training, workshops, and practical applications over five days, covering topics ranging from the future of agriculture and entrepreneurship to new technologies and financial literacy, with contributions from Sabancı University and Türkiye İş Bankası.
Created to contribute to the sustainable future of agriculture in Türkiye, support young farmers in adapting to changing production conditions, and contribute to the development of new generation competencies in the agricultural field, the program combines Sabancı University's academic knowledge with Türkiye İş Bankası's sector experience. The program is led by Prof. Dr. Levent Öztürk, Faculty Member of the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences at Sabancı University, and Prof. Dr. Zafer Yenal, Member of Sabancı Business School.
Young Farmers Will Develop Their Own Projects Throughout the Week
Prof. Dr. Zafer Yenal, a faculty member at Sabancı Business School, who gave the opening speech of the program, informed the participants about the content of the five-day program and the work they will carry out throughout the week. Emphasizing the importance of combining the experience of the participants, who come from farming and producer families, with the new knowledge they will acquire in classrooms and laboratories, Prof. Dr. Zafer Yenal stated that the young people will work on a "Business Model Canvas" throughout the program. Participants will present their projects, which they will develop with the new information they acquire each day, on the last day of the program.
Mustafa Alper Devran, Deputy Manager of the Agricultural Marketing Department of Türkiye İş Bankası, and Betül Devran, Agricultural Banking Specialist of Türkiye İş Bankası, also attended the opening of the program and met with the young participants.
First Day Focused on the Future of Agriculture
Following the opening speech, the program continued with a lecture by Prof. Dr. Levent Öztürk, a faculty member at Sabancı University's Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences. Prof. Dr. Öztürk began the lecture by talking about his academic background in the field of agriculture. Levent Öztürk provided participants with information on his studies in the fields of plant nutrition, plant physiology, and plant stress physiology.
The first day's program, held under the theme "The Future of Agriculture, Risks and New Value Areas," included sessions titled "Today's Agriculture: Risks, Opportunities, Youth," "The Political Economy of Agriculture," "New Technologies in Agriculture," and "New Ways to Create Value in Agriculture." In the final session of the day, Dr. Can Aktan, a faculty member at Sabancı Business School, met with participants in a session titled "Business Model Canvas 101: Start Drawing Your Map." With this session, young farmer candidates began to lay the foundation for the personal agricultural roadmaps they will develop throughout the week.
The Five-Day Program Will Conclude at İş Kuleleri
The first four days of the program will be held on Sabancı University's Tuzla Campus. On Friday, August 21st, the young farmer candidates will present their projects, developed throughout the week, to the jury at the final program to be held at İş Kuleleri.
