Evaluation of initiatives for spatial information system to support Turkish agriculture policy

Turkish agricultural policy has long been affected by the European Common Agricultural Policy. In 1992, the European Union dramatically changed its policy and since then it has been engaged in finding feasible solutions for the management of related spatial data in this context. Turkey, as a candidate country, has initiated important projects for the management of agricultural and agri-environmental measures in close relation with the European Common Agricultural Policy. In this paper, the initiatives under these projects are introduced, discussed and evaluated in view of their relationship with spatial data. As a result of the evaluation, it is concluded that, in spite of its current drawbacks, the Turkish Land Administration System should be considered, especially in the long term, as the basic spatial data source for the implementation of agricultural policy in Turkey.