The Economic Impact of IPARD Supports: A Quantitative Analysis on Milk Producers in TR52 Region

The purpose of this study is to investigate the economic impact of the IPARD program on dairy farmers in the TR52 region who benefit from these supports. The absence of similar studies conducted on this subject for the TR52 region makes this study unique. Our research involved conducting face-to-face interviews with 101 dairy farms that received support from the IPARD I-II programs during 2011-2021 in the TR52 provinces of Karaman and Konya, which had the highest milk production in Türkiye as of 2019. The data were analyzed using independent-samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, and chi-square tests. The economic conditions of businesses before and after receiving IPARD support were examined in terms of variables such as income, production, employment, and productivity. In addition, we also analyzed businesses' perceptions IPARD and their attitudes towards the future. According to the findings, the vast majority of businesses have achieved significant increases in their total revenue, production levels, scale of operations, efficiency, and number of employees. Morever, it has appeared that the businesses in question are generally satisfied with the IPARD program. Another finding of this study that has potentially important implications for the sustainability of Turkish rural development is that businesses are forced to employ foreign labor, a finding that supports the dual labor market theory.