Bolu – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry organized a two-day agroecological farming training course for women farmers in Bolu as part of the project “Promoting Ecosystem-Based Food Production through the Development of Agro-Ecology Management System”. The training was funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The women farmers and technical experts gathered at the Bolu Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry on the first day of the training course to learn about the principles of agroecology, adaptation to climate change, agroecological practices for sustainable fruit growing and soil health from experts in the field of agroecology. The experts also informed the farmers about the importance of IZA wheat and its products, which are local to Bolu. In addition, the training covered topics including social agroecology and the importance of gender equality in rural areas. Each participant received a certificate on completing the training course.

The training sessions commenced with a speech given by Zekeriya Ar, Bolu Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry, who spoke about the importance of the project for the province: “This project has been ongoing for over a year and a half. Our academic instructors and farmers have put in a lot of hard work, and we have now reached a period where we are beginning to see results. It makes us very happy that Bolu is the first place that comes to mind when agroecological farming is mentioned. Our main goal is for the outcomes of these workshops to spread throughout Türkiye.”

FAO Agriculture Expert Fazıl Düşünceli began his speech by thanking the experts and the provincial and district directorate officials involved in the project. He emphasized that the field implementation work carried out within this project would have significant outcomes, and noted that the training sessions would have both theoretical and practical field components, highlighting capacity building as one of the project’s main objectives. He also noted that the experiences shared during the two days would contribute to the development of the Agroecology Management Strategy, helping to ensure that the document is both realistic and practical.

Speaking on behalf of the General Directorate of Agricultural Reform, Seçil Ocak explained that: “We set out to enhance understanding of how we can protect nature with a sustainable agricultural approach by minimizing the effects of climate change. We have made significant progress with field practices and workshops carried out since 2022, and will continue to do so.”

The second day of the training continued in Demirciler Village and was attended by members of the Gelincik Women’s Cooperative and the women farmers. Emine Özdoğan, President of the Gelincik Women's Cooperative, shared information with the participants on the marketing and sale of local products made by the cooperative. The participants also visited a greenhouse and lavender garden created by cooperative members.

Emine Özdoğan shared her thoughts on the two days of intensive training: “Despite already working in farming in Bolu, we learned through this training that we need to share our experiences collectively. Strength comes from unity. Previously, everyone applied their own techniques while farming, but now we have learned about agroecological farming techniques, and will communicate more with each other and share our experiences. We also learned through the programme that IZA wheat is very beneficial and rich in magnesium and zinc.”

Photos: © FAO.