Analysis of the Factors Affecting Agricultural Credit Usage in Dairy Cattle Farms in Türkiye

Terin M., Karlıdağ F.

SCIENTIFIC PAPERS-SERIES MANAGEMENT ECONOMIC ENGINEERING IN AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT, cilt.26, sa.4, ss.121-130, 2026 (ESCI)

Özet

This study aimed to examine the factors influencing agricultural credit utilization among dairy cattle farms in the Tuşba district of Van Province and to investigate whether socio-demographic and farm management characteristics differed between credit users and non-users. The primary data consisted of survey data collected from 92 farms selected using the proportional sampling method. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and a binary logistic regression model. The results showed that 87.0% of the surveyed farms used agricultural credit. The average age of farmers was 41.65 years among credit users, compared with 38.58 years among non-users. The share of dairy cattle farming in total income was 56.0% for credit-using enterprises and 44.17% for non-credit-using enterprises. Results from binary logit estimation showed that variables such as the farmer's age, years of education, distance of the enterprise to the district center, and silage-making practices had a negative effect on the likelihood of using agricultural credit. Conversely, larger cultivated land holdings, greater herd size, the presence of off-farm income, and membership in the Cattle Breeders' Association were positively associated with agricultural credit use. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that enterprises with younger managers, larger operational scale, higher education levels, closer proximity to the district center, and membership in agricultural organizations are more inclined to utilize agricultural credit.