Agricultural schools were educational institutions established in the Ottoman Empire and in the early years of the Turkish Republic with the aim of teaching modern agricultural techniques, training qualified personnel, and developing agricultural production. These schools emerged from the need for renewal in the agricultural sector as part of the modernization efforts that began with the Tanzimat period.

Reasons for Establishment and Objectives

In the 19th century, agriculture in the Ottoman State, despite forming the basis of the country's economy, was carried out using traditional and primitive methods. Tanzimat administrators gave importance to agricultural education with the aim of applying scientific methods in agriculture, updating the methods used, and meeting the raw material needs of industry. In particular, making cotton suitable for industrial use led to the idea of bringing experts from America and opening an educational institution to popularize modern agriculture. The main objectives of agricultural schools were; to increase agricultural production by diversifying it, to encourage the cultivation of export-oriented products, to meet the raw material needs of domestic industry from within the country, and to modernize agricultural tools, equipment, and methods.

The First Agricultural School: Ayamama Agricultural Training School (1847/1848 – 1851/1852)

The Agricultural Training School (Agricultural School), the first modern agricultural education institution in the Ottoman Empire, began its establishment efforts in 1847 in Istanbul, at the Yeşilköy Ayamama Farm, and started admitting students and providing education in 1848. This school also holds the distinction of being the country's first active vocational-technical school. While its initial purpose was to develop cotton agriculture and provide quality raw materials to a textile factory, it later aimed to teach modern methods in all areas of agriculture.

^{Ayamama Farm during the Reign of Abdülhamid II (}^{Istanbul University Library}⁾

The school's curriculum was more application-oriented and included subjects such as arithmetic, geography, geometry, biology (botany, zoology), agriculture, horticulture, a sufficient amount of veterinary science, sugar production, sericulture, and Merino sheep breeding. The teaching staff included names like American expert Dr. Davis, director Hüseyin Efendi, and later Ağaton Efendi. Its first students were selected from Mekteb-i Tıbbiye (Medical School), and by 1849, the number of students exceeded 50.

The school was affiliated with the Ministry of Public Works (Nafia Nezareti) in 1850. However, due to unfavorable conditions at Ayamama Farm (harsh climate, student illnesses), and lack of teaching materials and books, students were temporarily transferred to Mekteb-i Tıbbiye in 1851. The school was closed at the end of 1851 or in 1852, on the grounds that the expected benefits were not achieved and students could not be trained for the provinces. This initial attempt could only operate for about four years due to insufficient planning and financial difficulties.

Halkalı Agricultural Higher School (1892 – 1928)

Approximately 40 years after the closure of Ayamama Agricultural School, Halkalı Agricultural School was established as a result of initiatives to open a modern agricultural school. Land was purchased in Halkalı in 1883, its regulations were published in 1884, and the construction of the school building began. With the completion of construction in 1891, the school officially began education in the field of agriculture in October 1892. However, since veterinary (baytar) class students started receiving education in Halkalı from 1891, the school was for a time referred to as "Halkalı Agricultural and Veterinary School". The veterinary classes were transferred to the newly established Civil Veterinary School (Mülkiye Baytar Mektebi) in Istanbul in 1894 due to space constraints and administrative difficulties.

^{Side View of Halkalı Agricultural School (}^{Istanbul University Library}⁾

With the transfer of the higher classes of the Forestry School to Halkalı in 1893, the school also began providing forestry education. With the regulation dated 1903, the school's name became "Halkalı Agricultural and Forestry Higher School", and the duration of study was extended to four years. Forestry education separated from Halkalı with the establishment of an independent Forestry Higher School in Bahçeköy in 1909-1910.

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

Halkalı Agricultural School underwent various administrative and structural changes, occasionally experienced land issues, and relocation attempts came to the agenda. Although the school had to close during World War I and the Armistice years, it reopened during the Republican period. Halkalı Agricultural School, which pioneered the widespread adoption of modern agricultural education, methods, and tools, was closed in 1928, and its students were transferred to the Higher Forestry School in Istanbul.

Agricultural Schools in the Provinces

Schools were also opened in various provinces outside Istanbul to provide agricultural education:

Edirne Hamidiye Agricultural School: Established in 1881, but closed in 1884 due to insufficient funding and teachers.
Thessaloniki Agricultural School: Established in 1887-1888, raised to college level in 1910, and closed in 1912 with the loss of Thessaloniki as a result of the Balkan Wars.

^{Thessaloniki Agricultural School}⁽^{Istanbul University Librar}^y⁾

Bursa Agricultural Operations School: Established in March 1891 under the name Hüdavendigâr Hamidiye Agricultural Operations School, it provided education for three years. It closed due to occupations after World War I and continued its activities as Bursa Agricultural Vocational High School during the Republican period.

^{Classroom of Hüdâvendigâr Hamidiye Agricultural Operations School (}^{Istanbul University Library}⁾

Ankara Agricultural School: Its establishment is stated as 1895-1897 or 1908. It had a sample farm, stud farm, vineyards, and vegetable cultivation areas; it also housed a Shepherd School. The building gained historical significance by being used as a headquarters by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk during the War of Independence years.
In addition to these, there were also attempts to open agricultural schools in provinces such as Adana, Hama, Sivas, Diyarbakır, and Kastamonu.

Special Purpose Agricultural Schools

Sericulture Schools (Harir Darüttalimleri): The first was established in Bursa in 1888 with the support of Düyun-u Umumiye; this was followed by schools in Antakya, Amasya, Beirut, and Elazığ.
Viticulture Schools: "American Vine Nursery, Sample Vineyard, and Grafting Operations School" was established in Göztepe, Istanbul in 1887, and "Viticulture Grafting Operations School" in Seydiköy, Izmir in 1900. Additionally, a viticulture school was located in Kızıltoprak.
Shepherd School: Opened in Ankara in 1898.
Others include a farm school in Aleppo and dairy schools.

Kalender Agricultural Dormitory (1917-1931)

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

Legal Regulations in Agricultural Education

The "Agricultural Education Regulation" dated February 10, 1912, designed agricultural schools as a four-tier system, including labor schools, farm schools, agricultural operations schools, and regional agricultural schools, but it could not be fully implemented due to World War I.

Agricultural Education in the Republican Period and Ankara Higher Institute of Agriculture

The legacy of agricultural education inherited from the Ottoman Empire was reshaped with comprehensive reforms in the early years of the Republic. During this period, the goal of creating a modern agricultural culture under state leadership was adopted. With Law No. 1109 enacted in 1927, the improvement of existing agricultural schools and the establishment of new institutes were planned.

^{Ankara Higher Institute of Agriculture (}^{Maarif Encyclopedia}⁾

A Higher Agricultural School was opened in Ankara in 1930, and this school was transformed into the Ankara Higher Institute of Agriculture (AYZE) in June 1933. 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. AYZE was closed in 1948, and its faculties were affiliated with Ankara and Istanbul universities.

General Assessment

Agricultural schools opened during the Ottoman period faced many difficulties such as financial constraints, lack of trained personnel, insufficient teaching materials, unsuitable physical conditions, and instability. Furthermore, external factors like capitulations and the Ottoman Public Debt Administration (Düyun-u Umumiye) could shape the priorities of agricultural policies, and thus agricultural education, according to foreign interests rather than national needs. Despite all these challenges, these institutions laid an important foundation for establishing modern agricultural awareness, introducing new techniques, and taking steps towards agricultural development. With the comprehensive reforms carried out during the Republican period and the establishment of the Ankara Higher Institute of Agriculture, agricultural education gained a more systematic and scientific structure.

Agricultural Schools