Digital Villages Initiative in Europe and Central Asia

DVI in Türkiye

Türkiye's agriculture sector is among the world's largest, with half of the country consisting of agricultural land and nearly a quarter of the population employed in agriculture. However, it faces challenges such as low productivity, lack of transparency in value chains, inefficient public support, and regional water shortages. Amidst these challenges, Türkiye's 2019-2023 Development Plan marked a shift, emphasizing digital transformation in agriculture for the first time.  
 
An assessment of Türkiye's digital agriculture landscape resulted in the publication of a Digital Agriculture Profile, published in 2021. The following year FAO collaborated with Türkiye's Ministry of Agriculture to launch a National Digital Agriculture Strategy as a key reference document that sets national objectives to drive digitalization in agriculture forward. It outlines objectives such as creating interoperable agricultural databases and fostering digital literacy. FAO also facilitated the establishment of "Hep Yerinden", a brand for agriculture cooperatives to collectively create a digital market and implement common strategies. As part of the Digital Villages Initiative, three villages - Yağcı, Güneyce, and Boyalı - have been evaluated for their readiness to undergo digital rural transformation. 

Digital Villages

Boyali 

Türkiye

Highlights

20/10/2024

Digital agriculture and climate-smart agricultural practices are attracting increasing attention in the Turkish agricultural and food sectors.

06/03/2024

Established in 2019, the cooperative's jam production course, in collaboration with the Turkish Employment Agency and the Public Education Center, provided a platform for skill development.

15/02/2022

Representatives of 13 cooperatives from 10 provinces met in Izmir to sign the “E-Commerce Cooperation Protocol”, an initiative prepared under the guidance of FAO experts and legal advisors under the slogan “Strong Livelihood, Resilient Society”.

18/05/2023

In 2021, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation (FAO) launched the global Digital Villages Initiative to promote digital innovations to rural communities.

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Publications

01/07/2021

FAO Türkiye, in line with its overall mandate, supports the Turkish Government in close collaboration and synergy with line ministries, UN agencies, international organizations, civil society organizations, academia, and the private sector to strengthen three priority areas: food and nutrition security and safety; sustainable forest and natural resources management, including fisheries; and institutional capacity enhancement of the public and private sectors.

01/05/2022

This report assesses the availability of digital business solutions in the agriculture sector and the demand for these services from rural smallholders in Turkey to be able to further help to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on smallholders in the agriculture sector.

01/01/2020

To spread digital technologies in agriculture globally, the digital divide needs significant public investment, improved policy, and incentive frameworks to be bridged. The Digital Agricultural Profiling tool (DAP) helps identify bottlenecks, opportunities, and risks for digital transformation, guiding public investment and policy work to accelerate its scaling up.

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Contact

Digital Agriculture Team

FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia

[email protected]