Organic Farming in Kelkit, Dogan-UNDP Partnership
Name of project: Linking
Eastern Anatolia to Progress Project-00038324
Budget: USD 180,000
Timeline: January 2006-January
June 2007
What's the situation?
Kelkit is one of the districts of Gumushane, which is one of the
relatively less developed provinces of Turkey. Kelkit region has
a huge potential for animal husbandry and the main income sources
of the local producers are livestock production and animal husbandry.
However, the quality of animal husbandry and cattle management are
poor. Farmers in many cases manage and care for pedigree cattle
as they treated their own local cattle historically. The pedigree
cattle bred for high-performance under optimum conditions perform
poorly and succumb to disease. Livestock often have access to water
only twice a day usually at village drinking troughs. There is need
for improvement in areas such as management conditions and feed
quality. In addition to this, farmers often complain of high interest
rates and expensive input and low farm gate prices. Moreover, poor
crop varieties, low yields and inadequacies in pasturage areas are
the other obstacles of animal husbandry that are faced in the region.
In 2001, Dogan Holding established
Dogan Organic Products Company in Kelkit, which is one of the biggest
rural development facilities of Turkey and Europe. By integrating
crop production with animal husbandry Dogan Organic Farming aims
to be the biggest organic farming facility in Turkey by the year
2006. Moreover, being a social investment, Dogan aims to build direct
relations with local farmers through contractual organic animal
husbandry practices in the region and develop the farmers along
with the facility itself. Upto date, Dogan Facility gave trainings
to the farmers on organic crop production/animal husbandry and implemented
contractual production model with some of the selected/ voluntary
farmers.
However, organic feed and
livestock production requires significant extension services. Farmers
in Kelkit area are no exception to this general rule. Effective
extension services and the support of the public institutions have
critical importance to address the difficulties in Gumushane, which
have already been mentioned in the previous part. Intensive extension
services will enhance an increase in agricultural production.
What's our mission?
As a private sector initiative established by Doðan Holding,
Doðan Organic Products Company has significant backward and
forward linkages with the local producers. Considering the positive
impacts of this project and new technologies on the society as a
whole, the need for a partnership of public and private sector in
extension services emerges.
The main objective of the initiative is to improve
awareness/capability of farmers in organic agriculture and animal
husbandry with a special focus on contractual farming in order to
allow them to benefit from the private sector initiative in Kelkit.
Farmers in the Kelkit region are dependent on the Dogan Organic
Farming for escaping the low income/subsistence agriculture trap,
but cannot fulfill the requirements of contractual farming with
their current abilities. Similarly, Dogan Organic Farming cannot
optimize profits without the commitment of local farmers and contractual
agreements with them.
UNDP works in the area of rural development in Eastern
Anatolia since 2001 and focuses on farmer trainings on agricultural
productivity, income generating activities and social development.
As an expansion of this project, UNDP supports the multi-partner
Dogan initiative and coordinates the activities of partners with
a view to build a successful rural development model.
How are we doing this?
We work in coordination with Dogan Organic Products Company, Ataturk
University Aydin Dogan Vocational School in design and implementation
of the training program. The awareness raising and capacity development
of the farmers will be done through a two-tier training program.
The first phase is organization of training of trainers
for organic farming and organic animal husbandry. This training
targets Dogan's extension officers, Agricultural District office's
extension officers and Vocational School students/academicians.
The second level of training will be given to the farmers in selected
villages, with demonstration components. Training materials will
be prepared with a view for further expansion and replication in
other areas.
In addition to the agricultural trainings, women
of the region will also receive trainings on various areas such
as reproductive health, hygiene, animal feeding, etc.
These trainings will both increase the capacity
of the extension officers in the region for further extension support
and will also increase the ability of the farmers to supply for
the readily available dairy facility. This will be used as a model
applicable for other interventions involving private sector, government
institutions and academia.
Who are our partners?
Aydýn Dogan Foundation: As the representative
of Dogan Group (private sector part) is the institutional contractual
party of the UNDP. The Foundation will provide media and public
relations support besides technical and financial support.
Ataturk University Aydýn Dogan Vocation School:
Vocational School is responsible for planning, management, logistics,
and human resources. In addition to that, the school will give technical
support for preparation of training materials.
Dogan Organic Products Company: At the local level
provides human resource/expertise, machinery-equipment and planning/monitoring
support to the project, which will be carried out jointly by the
Vocational School. Some of the trainings will be given by the company
staff. Close cooperation will be established in selection of demonstration
areas/farmers and in implementation of demonstrations.
Gumushane Governorate: Will provide machinery and
equipment, inputs and technical personnel support to the project.
Governorate and Provincial Administration will participate to the
local monitoring and planning meetings and provide logistical, machinery-equipment,
and facility support when needed. The District Agricultural Office
is also engaged in this context.
How will Turkey benefit?
The rural development models involving private sector and public
institutions as well as Universities will build a model of rural
development in the region. This model will be an efficient way to
promote organic agriculture, which is a central strategy of the
government. The local development initiative that aims ultimate
use of resources in a coordinated approach can be replicated in
other disadvantaged regions of Turkey.
Contact information:
Berna Bayazit
Programme Associate, UNDP
Tel: (90-312) 454 1126
E-mail: berna.bayazit@undp.org
Erol Çakmak
Project Manager
Ataturk Universitesi Dis Iliskiler Koordinatorlugu Erzurum
Tel: (90-442) 231 1012
Fax: (90-442) 236 1014
E-mail: cakmak@atani.edu.tr
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