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Gokhan Dogan, 41, a veteran who works as a civil servant at a hospital in Adana, has established a 950-tree olive grove on 25 decares (2.5 hectares) of land, driven by his interest in agriculture.
Dogan, a married father of two, became a veteran in 2008 while serving as a professional sergeant in the Lice district of Diyarbakir. In Türkiye, the title of veteran is given to those wounded while serving.
After becoming a veteran, Dogan began working as a civil servant at Seyhan State Hospital in 2011 with the opportunities provided by the state.
While working at the hospital, Dogan graduated from the Business Administration Department at Anadolu University and then earned a master's degree in the same field at Adana Alparslan Turkes Science and Technology University.
Dogan, who also completed studies in the Plant Protection Department at Dicle University's Faculty of Agriculture in 2018, decided after his studies to turn his long-standing interest in agriculture into production.
Dogan bought eight decares of land in the Hocali Neighborhood of the Saricam district and also rented 17 decares of agricultural land belonging to the Treasury.
After completing the necessary arrangements on the land, Dogan planted 950 olive saplings this year and spends his spare time after work in his garden.
Dogan aims to harvest the first crop from his garden in about three years.
Veteran Gokhan Dogan said that the title of veteran is the greatest source of pride in his life.
Explaining that the difficult period he went through did not cut him off from working life, Dogan said, "What I went through was very bad; may God not bring it upon anyone. God willing, the terror problem will be solved, and no one will be hurt again. I am one of those who were hurt."
Dogan said he devoted himself to education "to erase the events I experienced after becoming a veteran and the traces of the past." "I already had an interest in the soil, so I wanted to study at the faculty of agriculture," he said.
"Later, with the knowledge I gained and the support of my professors, I made my own garden," he added. Dogan said he takes care of everything about the trees in his garden and enjoys it greatly.
Stressing that working with the soil gives him peace, Dogan said: "I relieve my stress while taking care of my trees. In a way, this place takes my burden, and I feel happy."
"I check my trees one by one and look after them like my children," he said.
Dogan said he aims to further develop olive cultivation in the coming period and increase his production.
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