Çorum's identity as an industrial city is intertwined with farming. Official data on how the move from field to factory affects families and work identity.
His father sowed wheat, his grandfather started work in the chickpea field before sunrise; he himself waits for the works bus at seven in the morning and comes home in the evening after leaving the factory's casting line. This short story sums up the transformation that many families in Çorum have gone through over the last few generations. Çorum's industry has earned it the name of an industrial city; its organised industrial zones are almost full, and production ranges from flour mill machinery to metal casting. Yet according to the TR83 Regional Plan of the Central Black Sea Development Agency (OKA), the same province still earns around a fifth of its output from agriculture. In this article I focus on the figures behind the move from field to workbench, on the possible factors shaping this transition, and on how families and individuals may experience this change psychologically.
Çorum: Industrial City or Farming Province? What Do the Figures Say?
Official data show that Çorum carries both identities at once.
Agriculture still carries weight. According to OKA's Regional Plan, agriculture's share of Çorum's gross domestic product was 17.97 per cent in 2021. This share was over 25 per cent in 2010; in other words, it is falling, but it is still around three times the Turkish average (5.54 per cent). According to data from the Çorum Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, 24.2 per cent of the population lived in villages in 2024.
Industry is growing fast. According to OKA's data from May 2025, three organised industrial zones (OSBs) are in operation in the province: Çorum Central, Sungurlu and Osmancık. Around 94 per cent of the total area of 1,242 hectares has been allocated, and a new zone is planned. According to the Regional Plan, the leading sectors are grain technology, food processing and flour mill machinery, metal casting, stone- and clay-based industry such as bricks, tiles and ceramics, and leather footwear.
The structure of employment in the region is changing. According to Mek's (2023) study based on TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute) data, in 2021 38.3 per cent of employment in the TR83 region (Samsun, Tokat, Çorum, Amasya) was in agriculture, 19.4 per cent in industry and 42.4 per cent in services. In 2012 these shares were 42.5, 16.4 and 41.2 per cent respectively. In Turkey, by contrast, agriculture accounts for 17.2 per cent and industry for 27.5 per cent. According to the same study, 55.3 per cent of those working in agriculture in the region are unpaid family workers.
Development is moving upwards. In the Ministry of Industry and Technology's SEGE-2025 study (the socio-economic development ranking of provinces), Çorum ranks 43rd among 81 provinces, up seven places from 50th in 2017. This rise came largely from the "competitive and innovative capacity" dimension, where it ranks 20th.
But income remains below average. According to sources reporting TÜİK's 2024 provincial GDP data, Çorum ranks 55th among 81 provinces in income per head. The SEGE-2017 report also highlights that average daily earnings in the province remain low. According to TÜİK data, unemployment in 2024 was 6.15 per cent, below the Turkish average (8.7 per cent).
What should you keep in mind when reading these data?
- The distribution of employment by sector is published not for the province but for the TR83 region, which covers four provinces. Çorum's own distribution may differ.
- Export figures can make industry look stronger than it is. Official sources attribute a significant share of exports to trade in precious metals and jewellery; export records therefore do not reflect all of the labour on the factory floor.
- The number of businesses and employees on the industrial register and the rate of informal employment could not be found at provincial level in a verified source.
- "The move from farming to industry" is a framework for describing personal stories; every family's experience is different, and this transition may mean loss for some and rescue for others.
What Factors Shape the Move from Field to Factory?
A family's move from the field to the factory usually happens not through a single decision but through a process spread over years. Looking at the data, a few possible factors stand out.
Economic pressure on farming. The falling share of agriculture in income suggests that making a living from small-scale farming is becoming increasingly difficult. Input costs, dependence on the weather and fragmented land make it understandable that young people turn to jobs that offer a regular salary and social security.
The proximity of industry. Having industrial zones in Çorum Central, Sungurlu and Osmancık makes it possible to commute daily from villages and districts. This creates a mixed arrangement in which some families continue to live in the village while earning their income from the factory.
From unpaid family work to paid work. The fact that more than half of those working in agriculture are unpaid family workers shows that many people have lived for years in a system where they "worked but did not earn a wage". A first salary, social insurance and money earned in one's own name can be an important step towards independence, especially for young people.
Regional poverty trends. According to OKA's Regional Plan, the relative poverty rate in the TR83 region rose from 15.75 per cent in 2014 to 18.6 per cent in 2022, while in Turkey it stayed almost flat over the same period (21.6 per cent). Although the region's rate is still below Turkey's, the upward trend may be one of the factors explaining families' search for a more regular income.
The gap between the centre and the districts. In the District SEGE-2022 study, Çorum Central ranks 129th among 973 districts and is in the second tier, while Bayat and Uğurludağ are in the lowest tier. The "industrial city" label mainly describes the centre and the industrial zone corridor; in rural districts, farming and an older population remain decisive.
The Psychological Traces of Çorum's Industrial Transformation on Families and Individuals
Economic transformations change not only income tables but also people's sense of who they are.
A changing work identity
For many families, working the land is less a profession than a way of life. Following the seasons, waiting for the harvest and being "your own boss" give a strong sense of identity. In the factory, the job description is narrower, hours are fixed and decision-making power is limited. This transition can create a feeling of "now I live by someone else's clock", especially for those who start work in middle age.
The end of work passed from father to son
A field going unsown or the animals being sold can be a quiet grief for a family. The older generation may perceive it as their labour losing its value; the younger generation may feel guilty for not carrying on the tradition. These feelings are often left unspoken, but they show up in tension at the dinner table, in reproaches and in sentences such as "it wasn't like this in the old days".
The effect of shifts on family rhythm
In farming, work is organised around daylight; in industry, around shifts. Night shifts, weekend work and long hours directly affect sleep patterns, the time partners spend together and relationships with children. I discussed this in detail in my article on the family life of shift workers.
The gap between income and expectations
The industrial city identity and export records create a strong sense of development. However, with income per head below the Turkish average, some workers may feel that "the city is developing but my life isn't changing". This sense of relative deprivation can feed economic anxiety and hopelessness about the future.
Living between two worlds
People who live in the village and work in the city, or who are in the factory on weekdays and in the field at weekends, move back and forth between two different rhythms of life. While this offers flexibility and belonging, it can also leave no time at all for rest and lead to chronic tiredness.
Women's invisible labour
The high level of unpaid family work in agriculture suggests that women's labour, in particular, was seen for many years as "helping out". When a family gives up farming, this labour does not disappear; it often shifts to housework, care and the garden. Women who start work in a factory, meanwhile, may experience both the self-confidence of earning a salary in their own name for the first time and the burden of a "double shift" between work and home. In both cases, recognition of their labour matters for women's sense of self-worth.
Differences in values between generations
Between parents who grew up working the land and their children who work in factories or in the service sector, the meaning of "work", "success" and "security" can differ. When these differences are not talked about, feelings of being looked down on and misunderstood can grow on both sides.
Practical Suggestions to Ease the Transition
Let's say a forty-five-year-old man living in Alaca gives up the farming he did for years alongside his father and starts work in a factory for the first time. In the first months he feels both tired and worthless; his father, meanwhile, resents the field being left empty. In such a period, both the person and his family struggle; but simply knowing that struggling is a natural part of adjustment lightens the load a little. Some steps that may help in this situation are:
- Name the loss. Even if giving up farming is the right economic decision, it is a loss. Saying this openly to yourself and your family prevents feelings from coming out indirectly as anger or reproach.
- Do not erase the old identity completely. A small garden, a few trees or tending the field at weekends can be a way of keeping your bond with the land and of feeling competent in an area you know.
- Find an area of mastery in the new job. Getting to know a machine well, earning a skills certificate or taking on responsibility at work helps the new work identity take root.
- Protect your sleep. If you work shifts, a dark and quiet place to sleep, regular mealtimes and an agreement with your family about sleeping hours protect both your body and your relationships.
- Build bridges between generations. Appreciating the older generation's labour and knowledge, while also trying to understand the younger generation's new work, strengthens mutual respect.
- Meet financial worries with a plan. Talking through the family budget together and making debts and spending visible reduces the stress created by uncertainty.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
Adjusting to changes in work and way of life takes time. However, the following signs suggest that professional support may be helpful:
- If you experience intense anxiety, stomach pain or palpitations before going to work
- If your sleep has been disrupted for weeks and tiredness is interfering with daily life
- If there is constant anger, impatience and frequent arguments within the family
- If thoughts of worthlessness, hopelessness and "nothing will ever get better" have become dominant
- If turning to alcohol or other substances to relax is increasing
- If the person is having thoughts of harming themselves or ending their life
The last point is an emergency; in such a situation, call 112 (emergency services) without delay or go to the nearest emergency department.
How Are Changes in Work and Identity Addressed in Therapy?
Transitions such as a change of job, retirement or the loss of an occupation are addressed in therapy within the framework of "life transitions". The aim is to help the person both grieve what they have lost and find meaning and competence in the new situation.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) helps to examine together the evidence for thoughts such as "factory work isn't for me", "I've wasted my father's labour" or "nothing will change on this wage", and to develop more balanced perspectives. Sleep routines, stress management and problem-solving skills are also part of this work.
From a schema therapy perspective, a person's schemas, such as "failure" or "unrelenting standards", can help explain why this transition feels so heavy. People who took on the role of "carrying the family" in childhood may keep putting their own needs second in the new arrangement too.
In sessions with couples, the effect of shift patterns on the relationship, the sharing of household responsibilities and the ways partners support each other can be addressed. Individual therapy makes room in this process for the person to rebuild their own story. I also work in Çorum with face-to-face and online sessions; for shift workers, the online option can make things easier in terms of time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How large is agriculture's share of Çorum's economy?
According to OKA's TR83 Regional Plan, agriculture accounted for around 18 per cent of Çorum's gross domestic product in 2021; in Turkey the share is around 5.5 per cent. The share has been falling since 2010 but is still clearly above the Turkish average.
How many organised industrial zones are there in Çorum?
According to OKA's May 2025 data, there are three operating organised industrial zones in Çorum: Çorum Central, Sungurlu and Osmancık. Around 94 per cent of the total area has been allocated, and a new zone is planned.
Why does changing occupation feel so hard?
An occupation is not only a source of income but also part of one's identity, daily routine and social circle. Changing occupation means change in all these areas at once. That is why it is normal to experience tiredness, anxiety and grief-like feelings for a while.
How can tension between generations be reduced in families giving up farming?
Openly appreciating the older generation's labour and knowledge, calmly explaining the economic reasons behind the younger generation's decision and finding shared activities that do not completely sever the bond with the land can reduce tension. If arguments have become chronic, family sessions may help.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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