Today, it cannot be ignored that the agricultural sector has become one of the most important sectors

in terms of food security in countries. In fact, some strategists consider it to be of equal importance to the

defense industry, while others see it as a sine qua non of independence. When it is considered in terms

of the independence and security of the country, the establishment of long-term plans and targets in such

a sensitive sector, the use of modern methods in agricultural production, the highest level of production

capacity of the country in terms of both quantity and quality, and occupational safety for producers to produce in a safe and healthy environment. It is one of the most basic principles of sustainable

development and development.

The aim of the study is to draw attention to the importance of occupational safety in small family

businesses in the agricultural sector that employ less than 50 workers, which is excluded from the scope

of our occupational health and safety law, and to touch on the issue of healthier and safer production in

the food sector, which concerns the health of the whole country. In the study, 20 studies from domestic

and foreign articles made between 2017-2022, which were selected from recent studies in the literature,

were examined, the studies were evaluated and it was concluded that social awareness should be created

through more studies in this field. In order to raise awareness about occupational safety, especially in

small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises, which are excluded from the scope of the occupational

safety law in Turkey, some examples in the world have been examined and the practices that should be

done both scientifically and politically have been mentioned.

Although many definitions of occupational health and safety are made in the literature, it is possible

to briefly describe it as systematic and scientific studies that work to eliminate the dangers that threaten

human health and safety in workplace environments, to reduce them with the use of personal protective

equipment, and to eliminate the elements that will adversely affect the health and safety of employees.

The fact that our Occupational Health and Safety Law No. 6331 has largely excluded the agricultural

sector, leaves the workers in this sector unconscious and vulnerable, as well as putting the lives of the

people of the whole country at risk. While all the people of the country suffer from these products, which

are used unconsciously, it is inevitable for us to lag behind in terms of international competitiveness.

Many people suffer from reasons such as the fact that the majority of those working in the agricultural

sector in Turkey have not received any training in the field of production, the use of chemicals to combat

pests and increase productivity in agriculture, and the fact that many different machinery and equipment

have emerged with the development of technology, but the producers do not have sufficient knowledge,

experience and resources in these matters. they start to receive treatment by getting sick at a young age

or have to say goodbye to life at a young age. It is a fact that people should not lose their health and

life for a living. It takes an average of 30 years for a person to become a producer, and during these 30

years, the society invests in that person and tries to make him productive. However, the individual who

becomes a producer leaves us after 10-15 years without paying his debt to the society due to unfavorable

working conditions. The cost of this is very costly to the economy, and our national resources are wasted

without being paid for the investment made in human, which is our most important production resource.

Due to reasons such as pesticides (pesticides) used in the agricultural sector, agricultural machinery,

ergonomic problems, noise, zoonoses and PPE usage is not common; Problems such as the fact that

agricultural enterprises are small family businesses and that the inspection and occupational health and

safety rules are not applicable in this field leave many workers vulnerable to occupational health and

safety.

In order to solve the problem, firstly, trying to change the traditional production methods by directing

the young population who have a university education but looking for a job with minimum wage to the

agricultural sector, these young investors should be supported by financial state support, occupational

health and safety experts and occupational physicians to carry out risk analysis and risk with modern

methods. The establishment of occupational safety rules that will minimize the number of workers, and

the state to provide technical personnel support for this, and the provincial and district directorates of

agriculture to play a leading role in this regard should be among the priority targets.

In summary, the agricultural sector is as important as the national security and defense industry for

the independence of a country. Labor and capital alone are not enough to switch from the agricultural production model made with traditional methods to the agricultural methods used by the modern world.

It is undeniable that knowledge is the most valuable production factor today. Therefore, the state should

take measures to eliminate the lack of information in the agricultural sector, introduce modern production

methods, and provincial and district agriculture directorates should inform the producers about what

kind of high added value products can be grown in the relevant region by making soil analysis.

In this study, first of all, the developments in agriculture and agricultural products in the modern

world, and the issues of increasing product diversity through the dissemination of these products in

Turkey were discussed. Suggestions for growing the agricultural sector without compromising its

existence were presented.