Villages Initiative: Starts in ‘Boyalı Village’
24 May 2024 – The Digital Villages Initiative (DVI) is a collaboration with the FAO Europe and Central Asia Office and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry designed to support digital transformation in rural development. In May, as part of the initiative, a two-day Roadmap Workshop took place in Boyalı village in the Güdül district of Ankara, a site selected as a pilot area under the initiative.
Activities organized during the workshop were supported by the Ankara Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry and aimed at accelerating the digital transformation in the agriculture and livestock sectors. The overall vision and set of strategic priorities for this transformation were determined in cooperation with local villagers. The project forms part of a regional technical cooperation programme encompassing Türkiye, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia.
Boyalı neighbourhood headperson İhsan Kademderesi opened the two-day event with a speech explaining his hopes and expectations for the workshop and offering his thanks to those involved in the initiative.
FAO Senior Programme Coordinator Özcan Türkoğlu spoke next, delivering a speech in which he emphasized the importance of the work carried out to support digitalization in Boyalı village, especially by the Boyalı Fengere Women’s Agricultural Development Cooperative, led by Mukhtar Bahriye Süer.
He outlined the aims of the initiative: “We will focus on innovative digital steps that demonstrate Türkiye’s potential in terms of agriculture, food production and rural living standards by preparing a holistic digital transformation roadmap. This map will respond to the production needs especially of angora goat breeders and women farmers involved in the women’s cooperative, within the framework of the FAO Digital Villages Initiative.”
Güdül District Agriculture and Forestry Director Hakan Güven expressed his happiness at the selection of Boyalı as the pilot site, explaining that “the village plays an important role in our district in terms of small livestock breeding and woven fabric production. Access to basic digital services and tools by farmers will improve their decision-making mechanisms and farm management, thereby increasing their productivity.”
Güdül Mayor Mehmet Doğanay also emphasized the importance of Boyalı village as a pioneer in the region for angora goat breeding and expressed his satisfaction with its selection as the pilot village: “I believe that the activities realized within the scope of this pilot project will improve access to digital technologies for producers and facilitate their access to marketing channels. We will strive to provide the necessary services within the scope of the project, including through the Angora Festival.”
The last opening speech was given by Project National Coordinator, Agricultural Engineer Onur Ayvaz, who stressed that the Ministry believes in the potential of Boyalı village. Furthermore, as he explained: “The digital roadmap that emerges from the work we do here over the next two days is of great importance, as it will not only set an example for Boyalı village but also contribute to other villages in our country.”
Following the opening speeches, FAO Digital Agriculture Specialist Valentina Jug delivered an informative presentation on the Digital Villages Initiative and FAO’s best practice examples. After the presentation, a session moderated by National Digital Agriculture Advisor Hüseyin Tayyar Güldal underlined the importance of digitalization efforts in the agrifood sector and evaluated the current situation and potential of the village together with local villagers and workshop participants.
About the Digital Villages Initiative
The Digital Villages Initiative aims to transform villages in Europe and Central Asia into smarter, greener and digitally rich connected hubs. Each village and rural community are targeted to improve the use of digital technologies to enhance agricultural productivity and ease access to services, leveraging local strengths to improve rural living standards. The initiative, launched in 2023, operates in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Türkiye, aiming to boost agricultural productivity and ensure sustainable development in rural areas.