Smart agriculture and autonomous farms take center stage at OMU

The talk titled “Agricultural Transformation with Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems” was held under the coordination of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) and the Agricultural Technologies Cluster (TÜME).

Hosted by Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU), the talk was held at the Conference Hall of the Distance Education Application and Research Center (UZEM), where digitalization in agriculture, artificial intelligence-supported applications, and the contribution of autonomous systems to production processes were discussed.

At the talk, OMU Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın, TÜME Chairman of the Board Abdülkadir Karagöz, and Aviation, Space and Technology Festival (TEKNOFEST) Agricultural Entrepreneur Mustafa Aslan took part as speakers.

The program also addressed the impact of digitalization on agricultural production processes. Presentations were delivered on artificial intelligence-supported agricultural applications, autonomous agricultural vehicles, smart irrigation systems, and data-driven production models, while sustainable agricultural policies, the contribution of technology to efficiency and cost, and the smart agricultural systems of the future were evaluated.

In her speech, OMU Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın said that agriculture and animal husbandry are not merely sectoral fields in the modern world, and that food chains are at the center of states’ national security strategies.

Rector Aydın: “Samsun is one of Türkiye’s most important agricultural centers”

Rector Aydın said, “As OMU, we consider it an academic responsibility to guide the planning, structuring, and implementation processes related to areas that will contribute to the development of our city. We are aware that important duties fall to our university in bringing together the agricultural advantages of Samsun, one of Türkiye’s most important agricultural centers with its geographical location, biological diversity, and fertile lands, with production. In our city, where it is possible to bring different crops into the economy in every period of the year with the Çarşamba and Bafra plains within its borders, we need to accelerate our steps toward increasing the economic share of agriculture and animal husbandry. In our age, the way to increase agricultural productivity is to activate the opportunities offered by modern technology. While the production capacity of our farmers, who can overcome difficulties such as muscle strength and working time through artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, increases, it may also become easier for young people to turn to the agricultural sector.”

“Artificial intelligence-supported education and research farms will be established at OMU, which will be one of the 10 pilot universities”

Stating that agricultural technologies shape the production understanding of the future, Rector Aydın said, “The cooperation protocol signed in March 2026 represents a strategic step that guides Türkiye’s agriculture, animal husbandry, technology, and human resource policies. Within the scope of the protocol, it is planned to establish artificial intelligence-supported education and research farms within 10 pilot universities. Through this farm, which will also be implemented at our university, it is aimed that our students will gain applied training opportunities, R&D activities will be carried out in the field of agricultural technologies, and exemplary farmers of the future will be trained. With this model, in which artificial intelligence and smart production systems are integrated, it is also aimed to increase efficiency and added value by bringing traditional production understanding together with advanced technology. In addition to all these, it is of great importance that our education programs are continuously updated to cover areas such as digitalization, artificial intelligence, precision agriculture, biotechnology, and sustainability. Our university has also taken important steps in this direction and has implemented new academic structures in the field of ‘precision agriculture and agricultural robots.’ The farms to be established will serve as application areas for these departments, strengthen the professional competencies of our students, and significantly facilitate the employment of our graduates.”

TÜME Chairman of the Board Abdülkadir Karagöz said in his speech at the program that the technological accumulation and self-confidence formed in the defense industry should also be transferred to the fields of agriculture and animal husbandry.

TÜME Chairman of the Board Karagöz: “An important awareness has emerged regarding agricultural technologies”

Stating that an important awareness regarding agricultural technologies emerged at TEKNOFEST 2025, Karagöz said, “There were many people who questioned, ‘What is a cow doing at Istanbul Atatürk Airport and at TEKNOFEST?’ There were cows in an area of approximately 3,000 square meters, and there were autonomous systems. There, we brought together companies developing agricultural technology in Türkiye, startups, and stakeholders trying to do something in these fields. We wanted to create awareness.”

Underlining that the agricultural population in Türkiye is aging and that the number of producers in villages is decreasing, Karagöz said that the aim is to bring young people into production in the new period through artificial intelligence-supported and autonomous systems. Karagöz said, “The world has now become a world that centers self-sufficiency and sustainability. We do not have the chance to say, ‘We will buy it from there.’ We need to give an answer. What is the answer we will give? The answer we will give is technology.”

“We wanted, as TÜME, to donate farms to 10 universities in Türkiye this year”

Stating that TÜME signed a protocol with the Council of Higher Education, Karagöz said, “We wanted, as TÜME, to donate farms to 10 universities in Türkiye this year. Let our academics who develop technology in these autonomous farms, our academics who develop agricultural, plant-based, and animal management methodologies come and produce projects. Let agricultural engineers, my friends studying at the faculty of veterinary medicine, my friends studying computer science, my friends studying sociology, my friends studying psychology come to these autonomous farms, produce both academic and practical outputs here, and receive training.”

Karagöz stated that the artificial intelligence-based autonomous farm planned to be established at OMU is designed as an education, production, and technology development center, and explained that the aim is to provide certified training to young people there.

“Türkiye needs an increase in scale and efficiency in milk and animal husbandry production”

Stating that they will provide certified training on the production side at the autonomous farm they will establish in Samsun for those who say, “I want to receive training in this,” Karagöz said:

“As a result of these certified trainings, we will bring our technically competent friends before funds. As a foundation, our job is to educate and equip. Türkiye needs an increase in scale and efficiency in milk and animal husbandry production. We aim for young people to participate in production in artificial intelligence-based autonomous farms. We want to give scale and efficiency to Türkiye’s burden only in dairy cattle breeding through artificial intelligence-based autonomous farms, instead of looking after three animals or five animals. Let us obtain 10 tons of milk per cow instead of 2 tons of milk per cow. Our brothers and sisters here will do this in artificial intelligence-based autonomous farms with an average of 50–75 animals, with systems developed by Turkish engineers and with machines that communicate with each other. They will do this with milking robots, image processing systems, smart collar systems, calf feeding systems, and genetic improvement studies.”

“We need 40 thousand young people”

Providing information about TÜME’s support targets for young entrepreneurs, Karagöz said, “In order to carry Türkiye’s milk burden, we need 40 thousand young entrepreneur friends who will ensure the export of around one million pregnant heifers per year by using female semen in 40 thousand enterprises. This year, as TÜME and as the agricultural technologies stakeholder of TEKNOFEST, we will support 40 of our young people. Next year, we will support 400 of our young people. The following year, we will support 4 thousand of our young people.”

TEKNOFEST Agricultural Entrepreneur Mustafa Aslan: “My aim is to transform labor in agriculture into value through the power of technology”

TEKNOFEST Agricultural Entrepreneur Mustafa Aslan shared his experiences in the field of animal husbandry and his technology-oriented production goals. Stating that traditional production methods involve challenges in terms of labor force and sustainability, Mustafa Aslan said, “After my graduation, I worked in various autonomous and large-scale enterprises in order to gain field experience. Especially witnessing that in a modern facility with 500 animals, only three caregivers could professionally manage the entire process broadened my horizons. My dream was to establish those autonomous systems I saw in large enterprises in my own village, to ease my family’s burden and increase efficiency. While I was in this search, our paths crossed with TÜME. Their vision and projects were in complete harmony with my dreams. Today, on the TEKNOFEST stage, as an entrepreneur who believes in this project, I feel great excitement and pride. My aim is to transform labor in agriculture into value through the power of technology and to be a part of this transformation.”

The talk was also attended by Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Alper Kesten, Prof. Dr. Çetin Kurnaz, and Prof. Dr. Ayşe Pınar Sumer, Secretary General Prof. Dr. Erhan Burak Pancar, faculty deans, Samsun Teknopark General Manager Levent Tanrıverdi, as well as academics and students.

The program concluded after participants’ questions were answered. Afterwards, protocol members visited Samsun Teknopark and made observations..