Through the collaboration between Akdeniz University Faculty of Agriculture and Growtech, the world's largest greenhouse agriculture fair, the Growtech@Campus event is organized every year. Thanks to this event, companies and our faculty students have the opportunity to meet face-to-face, obtaining opportunities in terms of both finding internship placements and employment.

Growtech Antalya 2025 stood out with the "International Agricultural Diplomacy Summit" organized by the Turkish Agricultural Diplomacy Group (TTDG). The summit discussed the strategic role of agriculture in food security and global stability, highlighting Turkey's importance in this field.

In Antalya, the leading city in Türkiye for undercover (greenhouse) vegetable production, we are continuing our preparations for the new season together, without slowing down. Along the coastline from Kaş to Gazipaşa, our producers have prepared their greenhouses, planted their seedlings, and are now eagerly waiting for the first harvest. Ahead of the season, our exporting companies have also started planning with importers around the world and, like our producers, are looking forward to the first products of the new harvest.

Director of Growtech Middle East, Ahmed Khalil, highlights that as agriculture across the Middle East accelerates through increased investment and technology adoption, Growtech Middle East will unite regional priorities with global innovation. The exhibition will take place at Dubai World Trade Centre on 26-28 October 2026, serving as a business-focused, knowledge-led platform for the industry.

Exhibition Director Engin Er emphasizes that Growtech Antalya has once again proven to be the global meeting point for agriculture sector. With 38,634 professionals from 135 countries and 725 exhibitors, Growtech Antalya has become a central platform where many companies launch new products, shape their strategies for the upcoming year, and determine their orders.

This article highlights the strategic importance of Türkiye’s seed industry; emphasizing how domestic breeding and R&D capacity is carried into global markets through the Plant Breeding Project Market and the Growtech Antalya. Through the assessments of M. Kayhan Yıldırım, Chairman of the Board of the Turkish Seed Union, it illustrates why seed is a defining force for economic strength, national resilience, and the agricultural vision of the future.

One of the cornerstones of our agricultural strategy is our long-standing collaboration with Growtech. Recognized as one of the world’s largest events in greenhouse agriculture, Growtech not only strengthens Antalya’s global positioning in agricultural technologies but also brings significant value to our local ecosystem.

Global agriculture is undergoing a significant transformation due to the pressures of the climate crisis, a growing population, and food security challenges. Technology is no longer just a tool in agricultural production; it has become the guarantee of the future. One of the most critical areas of this transformation is greenhouse technologies. Greenhouse solutions, which increase efficiency, optimize resource use, and enable production throughout the year, play a strategic role in the agriculture of the future.

Türkiye holds one of the most advantageous geographies in the world for seed production. Due to the climate and biological diversity, and the tradition of agriculture cultivated in these lands. However, research and development (R&D) investments have yet to gain the momentum we expect. While private sector breeding programs are advancing, the lack of qualified personnel, bureaucratic hurdles, and weak cooperation among public and private sectors and the universities do slow the sector down. At exactly this point, I see the decisions announced at the 4th Agriculture and Forestry Council on May 14, 2025, as a historic turning point.

Producing year-round, Antalya stands as a leading city in plant production thanks to its outstanding performance in greenhouse agriculture. As the top producer in Türkiye of 22 agricultural products—including tomatoes, vegetables, mushrooms, carnations, and bananas—14% of Antalya’s agricultural production is exported. In 2024, Antalya achieved $2.2 billion in total exports, $1.2 billion of which came from agricultural products.

Born in 1955, Michael Kevin Pollan has taught and conducted research at universities such as Harvard and Berkeley. He has also frequently appeared in the public sphere as an environmental and climate activist. Pollan approaches cultural history from anthropological, sociological, and literary perspectives and pays particular attention to the relationships between humans, plants, and food.

As one of the driving forces of Turkish agriculture, Antalya is not only notable for its production volumes but also stands at the heart of agricultural development thanks to its modern infrastructure, advanced technology use, and export strength.

“Growtech@Campus” event is organized every year with the cooperation between our faculty and Growtech, the world's largest greenhouse agriculture fair. In this event, companies and students of our faculty have the opportunity to meet face to face and get opportunities both in terms of internship and finding a job. Many agricultural companies are expected to participate in the event, which will be organized for the third time this year.

Agricultural production is facing numerous challenges. Until recently, if you asked farmers about their biggest concern, they would most likely cite production costs and high input prices. The climate crisis was rarely mentioned. Today, in addition to rising costs, many producers are increasingly drawing attention to climate-related problems.

The agricultural industry has a high carbon footprint and energy consumption. Cultivating crops under solar panels that generate energy for agriculture can address many issues. The agrivoltaics system maximizes land and resource use while extending the lifespan of solar panels and healing the planet. Agrivoltaics is the term for using land for both solar energy production and agricultural cultivation.

In the field of Artificial Intelligence, we can say that 'Yesterday is yesterday, today is today and even 24 hours is a very long time in Artificial Intelligence'. The point we need to focus on is to provide the right data to AI Technology - to go forward in cyber security - to draw the ethical framework well and to be a MASTER not a SLAVE. 

The agricultural sector, with its dynamic and ever-evolving nature, continues to be one of the most strategic industries worldwide. For 24 years, GROWTECH. ANTALYA has been at the heart of this dynamic ecosystem, striving to contribute to the sector's advancement.