Autonomous tractor operations are gaining ground on Turkey’s small and medium-sized family farms, where labor shortages and rising costs remain persistent challenges. Driving this transformation is the increasing uptake of the XAG APC2 AutoPilot Console, which turns even aging tractors into smart, capable partners in the field. As young people return to agriculture, their push to upgrade existing machinery is making automation more attainable and driving greater efficiency across the sector.

A farmer’s view inside a Tümosan tractor, equipped with XAG APC2 AutoPilot Console for hands-free, precision-guided operation.

Turkey’s agricultural landscape is uniquely shaped by its vast number of tractors—over 1.5 million, the largest fleet in Europe. The majority of these machines are in the hands of family farms, which serve as the true backbone of national food production. For these families, each tractor has to be an all-purpose workhorse: reliable, easy to maintain, and affordable. But as economic pressures and labor scarcity have mounted, many have found their trusted machinery in need of an upgrade—not in form, but in function.

Gönen, renowned nationwide for its expansive paddy fields and rice-growing expertise, is a place where this upgrade is underway. Here, 24-year-old Numan Korkmaz and his family cultivate 140 hectares of rice paddies. Leaning against his red Tümosan tractor, jacket still dusted from the morning’s work, Numan speaks about agricultural technology with the same confidence his parents once reserved for topics like weather and water—unpredictable but essential for survival.

"We need to keep up with modern times in our sector," he says. For Numan, that meant investing in an XAG APC2 AutoPilot Console—a decision driven by his goal to "enable precision farming, achieve centimeter-level accuracy, and ensure orderly, safe work" for both daily operations and his family farm's future.

Before adopting the APC2, Numan’s work demanded constant concentration just to keep the tractor straight. Fatigue from long days behind the wheel led to overlapping rows, wasted seeds and inputs, and the fear that even a small mistake could cost an entire season. “Our work was completely manual,” Numan remembers.

The APC2 marked a turning point. The system delivers hands-free steering and centimeter-level accuracy to a wide range of tractors, supporting the production of various crops. Instead of worrying about missed patches or crooked lines, Numan now trusts the tractor to steer itself, even at night or in challenging terrain. 

When operating tasks such as sowing, fertilizer spreading, or harrowing, Numan is impressed by how APC2’s accurate, parallel line keeping has transformed his daily work. "Accuracy and precision are a must for us,” he says. “I prefer to use the AB straight line function; it’s faster, easier, and more practical.”

This confidence comes from the APC2’s RTK-based positioning, further supported by IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) sensors for terrain compensation, which detect the slope of the ground instantly to ensure the tractor stays precisely on course regardless of field conditions. As a result, overlaps are minimized and every part of the land is used efficiently. “Fuel and time savings are our top priorities, and we are also seeking to reduce excessive inputs,” Numan observes.

This compact Mainframe integrates RTK antennas, sensors, and processors into a single unit for seamless autonomous tractor control.  

Such gains are backed by research: Turkish academic studies show that GNSS-based guidance systems reduce field overlaps and input use by 6–10%. Thanks to the even greater accuracy of RTK, farmers like Numan are achieving remarkable savings in fuel and resources, maximizing the productivity of each operation.

These improvements are especially critical for small and medium farms today. Turkey's annual inflation rate stood at 37.86% in April 2025, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), and persistently high costs, particularly for fuel, continue to put intense pressure on farm budgets. As a result, solutions for improving productivity and saving resources have become a necessity, not just an aspiration.

For years, these gains seemed out of reach for smallholders, hindered by high upfront costs and technical complexity. XAG APC2 has changed the landscape with its all-in-one, waterproof design that integrates navigation and control in a single unit. The system is easily operated through a smartphone app and requires minimal maintenance. “If you can use an Android phone, you can use this system,” Numan notes, highlighting an important factor in bridging agriculture’s generational gap.

On a typical day, Numan started work at 7:30 a.m. and covered nearly 9 hectares using only 30 liters of diesel—a tangible demonstration of the savings and peace of mind that automation provides. When asked about affordability, he’s candid: “On the contrary, it’s actually more costly not to buy it.”

As policymakers encourage sustainable progress in Turkey, real change is unfolding in the fields, led by forward-thinking farmers like Numan. For him and other smallholders, embracing new technology isn’t just about keeping pace—it’s about safeguarding the future of their lands. With the new generation stepping into the spotlight, Turkish agriculture is poised to become more productive, resilient, and ready for the challenges ahead.