Dersaadet Birinci Osmanlı Numune-i Terakki-i Ziraat Anonim Şirketi ve Faaliyetleri
Joint-Stock Company of Dersaadet Birinci Osmanli Numune-i Terakki-i Ziraat and its Activities

Summary/Abstract: Established in Istanbul in 1912, the “Dersaadet Birinci Osmanlı Numune-i Terakki-i Ziraat” is one of the joint-stock companies operating during the final years of the Ottoman Empire. The main objectives of the company were to operate in the agriculture and animal husbandry by utilizing the scientific methods of the period, to deliver practical training in these industries, to adopt and convey domestic and international developments, to strengthen the social awareness of nationalization efforts, and to contribute to the economy and development of the country. In order to realize its projects, the company planned to establish a model farm and chose the Baltacı Farm in Yalova as the ideal location. Under the agreement signed with the Ministry of Finance, the company was granted a seven-year lease for the farm with an option in place to extend the lease up to 50 years. However, certain disputes arose between the inhabitants of surrounding villages and the Dagestan refugees, who were settled around the farm and leased small plots of land for cultivation. The government responded sensitively to the issue, adding further stipulations to the agreement to safeguard the rights of these inhabitants and refugees. Drawing upon the Ottoman archival documents, the present study examines the founding principles and objectives of the least-studied Dersaadet Birinci Osmanlı Numune-i Terakki-i Ziraat Joint-Stock Company as well as the lease and management process of the Baltaci Farm. Although the activities planned by the company never came to fruition, contextualizing the purpose, goals, and economic approach of a domestic agricultural company conducting business in the agriculture and animal husbandry industries in the early 20th century offers valuable information to scholarship. To this end, the study aims to contribute to our understanding of the corporatization efforts undertaken in the late Ottoman Empire.

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