Agricultural Schools

Agriculture schools were educational institutions established during the Ottoman Empire and in the early years of the Republic of Türkiye to teach modern agricultural techniques, train qualified personnel, and enhance agricultural production. These schools emerged as part of the modernization efforts that began with the Tanzimat period, driven by the need to renew agricultural practices.

Founding Reasons and Objectives

In the 19th century, although agriculture formed the foundation of the Ottoman state’s economy, it was carried out using traditional and primitive methods. Tanzimat administrators placed importance on agricultural education to implement scientific methods, update existing practices, and meet the raw material needs of industry. In particular, the effort to make cotton suitable for industrial use led to the idea of bringing in experts from America and establishing an educational institution to promote modern agriculture. The primary goals of agriculture schools were to diversify and increase agricultural output, encourage the cultivation of export-oriented products, satisfy the raw material needs of domestic industry from within the country, and modernize agricultural tools and methods.

The First Agriculture School: Ayamama Agriculture Teaching House (1847/1848 – 1851/1852)

The first modern agricultural education institution in the Ottoman Empire, the Agriculture Teaching House (Agriculture School), began its establishment in 1847 at the Ayamama Farm in Yeşilköy, Istanbul, and commenced instruction with students in 1848. This school also holds the distinction of being the country’s first active vocational-technical school. Its initial purpose was to improve cotton cultivation and supply high-quality raw material for a printing factory, but its mission later expanded to teaching modern methods across all areas of agriculture.

Ayamama Farm during the reign of Abdülhamid II (İstanbul University Library)

The school’s curriculum was primarily practical and included subjects such as arithmetic, geography, geometry, biology (botany and zoology), agriculture, horticulture, sufficient veterinary science, sugar production, sericulture, and Merino sheep breeding. The teaching staff included American expert Dr. Davis, director Hüseyin Efendi, and later Ağaton Efendi. The first students were selected from the Medical School, and by 1849 the student population exceeded 50.

In 1850 the school was placed under the Ministry of Public Works. However, due to unfavorable conditions at Ayamama Farm—including harsh climate, student illnesses, and insufficient teaching materials and books—the students were temporarily transferred to the Medical School in 1851. The school was closed by the end of 1851 or in 1852 on the grounds that it failed to deliver the expected benefits and did not train students for rural areas. This first attempt operated for approximately four years before being shut down due to inadequate planning and financial difficulties.

Halkalı Higher Agriculture School (1892 – 1928)

About 40 years after the closure of the Ayamama Agriculture School, a new initiative led to the establishment of the Halkalı Agriculture School. Land in Halkalı was purchased in 1883, its regulations were published in 1884, and construction of the school building began. With completion of construction in 1891, the school officially commenced agricultural education in October 1892. However, since veterinary students had already begun their education in Halkalı in 1891, the institution was for a time known as the Halkalı Agriculture and Veterinary School. The veterinary classes were transferred in 1894 to the newly established Mülkiye Veterinary School in Istanbul due to space constraints and administrative difficulties.

Side View of Halkalı Agriculture School (İstanbul University Library)

In 1893, the higher classes of the Forestry School were also relocated to Halkalı, and the institution began offering forestry education. According to the 1903 regulations, the school’s name became the Halkalı Higher School of Agriculture and Forestry, and its duration of study was extended to four years. Forestry education was separated from Halkalı in 1909–1910 with the establishment of an independent Higher Forestry School in Bahçeköy.

According to the 1884 regulations, the duration of education at Halkalı Agriculture School was three years, and it was planned to admit 30 free boarding students annually. The curriculum included theoretical and practical subjects such as algebra, mechanics, geometry, land surveying, chemistry, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, irrigation, animal husbandry, agricultural economics, agricultural law, and French.

Halkalı Agriculture School underwent various administrative and structural changes, occasionally faced land-related problems, and considered relocation efforts. Although the school was forced to close during World War I and the Armistice years, it reopened during the Republic period. Halkalı Agriculture School, which pioneered the dissemination of modern agricultural education, methods, and tools, was closed in 1928, and its students were transferred to the Higher Forestry School in Istanbul.

Agriculture Schools in the Provinces

To provide agricultural education outside Istanbul, several schools were established in different provinces:

• Edirne Hamidiye Agriculture School: Established in 1881, it closed in 1884 due to insufficient funding and teaching staff.
• Thessaloniki Agriculture School: Established between 1887 and 1888, it was elevated to college level in 1910 and closed in 1912 following the loss of Thessaloniki after the Balkan Wars.

Thessaloniki Agriculture School (İstanbul University Libraryi)

• Bursa Agriculture Practical School: Established in March 1891 as the Hüdavendigâr Hamidiye Agriculture Practical School, it operated for three years. It closed after the World War I occupations and continued its activities during the Republic period under the name Bursa Agriculture Vocational High School.

Classroom of Hüdavendigâr Hamidiye Agriculture Practical School (İstanbul University Library)

• Ankara Agriculture School: Its founding is dated between 1895 and 1897 or 1908. The school had demonstration farms, orchards, vineyards, and vegetable cultivation areas, and also housed a Shepherd School. The building gained historical significance when it was used as a headquarters by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk during the War of Independence.
• In addition, efforts were made to establish agricultural schools in provinces such as Adana, Hama, Sivas, Diyarbakır, and Kastamonu.

Special-Purpose Agriculture Schools

In addition to general agricultural education, specialized schools were established in specific fields:

• Sericulture Schools (Harir Darüttalimleri): The first was established in 1888 in Bursa with support from Düyun-u Umumiye; it was followed by schools in Antakya, Amasya, Beirut, and Elazığ.
• Viticulture Schools: In 1887, the “American Vine Nursery, Demonstration Vineyard and Grafting School” was opened in Göztepe, Istanbul, and in 1900 the “Viticulture Grafting School” was opened in Seydiköy, İzmir. There was also a viticulture school in Kızıltoprak.
• Shepherd School: Opened in Ankara in 1898.
• Others included a farm school in Aleppo and dairy schools.

Kalender Agriculture Dormitory (1917–1931)

Established on 6 March 1917 in Istanbul by the Himaye-i Etfal Society for orphaned and homeless children, the dormitory provided practical and theoretical agricultural education in areas such as vegetable growing, horticulture, floriculture, beekeeping, and poultry farming. The dormitory continued its operations in the early years of the Republic but closed in 1931 due to agricultural education reforms and financial difficulties in the 1930s.

Legal Regulations in Agricultural Education

The “Regulations on Agricultural Education” of 10 February 1912 designed a four-tiered system comprising labor schools, farm schools, agricultural practical schools, and regional agricultural schools. However, due to World War I, it was never fully implemented.

Agricultural Education in the Republic Era and the Ankara Higher Institute of Agriculture

The legacy of agricultural education inherited from the Ottoman Empire was restructured through comprehensive reforms in the early years of the Republic. During this period, the state adopted the goal of creating a modern agricultural culture. The Law No. 1109 of 1927 planned the reform of existing agricultural schools and the establishment of new institutes.

Ankara Higher Institute of Agriculture (Maarif Encyclopedia)

In 1930, a Higher Agriculture School was opened in Ankara, and in June 1933 it was transformed into the Ankara Higher Institute of Agriculture (AHIA). The institute provided education at the faculty level in agriculture, veterinary medicine, forestry, and agricultural arts; conducted scientific research; and contributed to the dissemination of modern agricultural techniques. AHIA was closed in 1948, and its faculties were attached to the universities of Ankara and Istanbul.

General Evaluation

The agriculture schools established during the Ottoman period faced numerous challenges, including financial difficulties, lack of qualified personnel, insufficient teaching materials, unsuitable physical conditions, and instability. Additionally, external factors such as capitulations and Düyun-u Umumiye shaped agricultural policies and, consequently, agricultural education priorities according to foreign interests rather than national needs. Despite all these difficulties, these institutions laid a crucial foundation for the establishment of a modern agricultural consciousness, the introduction of new techniques, and the initiation of steps toward agricultural development. With comprehensive reforms in the Republic era and the establishment of the Ankara Higher Institute of Agriculture, agricultural education acquired a more systematic and scientific structure.