Abstract

In this research, socio-economic characteristics and information sources of the farmers performing sowing with combined sowing machine which is one of the conservative tillage methods and the farmers performing sowing with conventional methods in wheat production activities are studied. The research was conducted in Tekirdag province. The main population of the study is composed of 95 farm holdings having lands of at least 120 ha. 30 of these farm holdings perform conservative agricultural practices by using combined sowing machine. In the remaining 65 farm holdings, on the other hand, wheat production activity is carried out with conventional methods. While all the information sources of the farmers performing production with combined sowing machine are formal information sources, 43% the information sources of the farmers performing production with conventional methods are informal information sources. The farmers within the second group are individuals with lower levels of education and the share of agricultural income within their total income is also relatively low.

Key words: Conservative agriculture, wheat sowing, farmer behavior.