Agricultural Development and Cooperatives Workshop in Nilüfer

In the Agricultural Development and Cooperative Workshop, journalist Cem Seymen stated that agriculture is a strategic element, saying, “We cannot solve anything without solving agriculture in Turkey.”
The “Agricultural Development and Cooperative Workshop,” organized in collaboration with Nilüfer Municipality and Nilüfer Agricultural Development Cooperative (NİLKOOP) to promote production, protect agricultural areas, and develop cooperatives, has concluded. On the last day of the three-day workshop held at Nilüfer Nikahevi, journalist Cem Seymen spoke about agricultural policies and seed policies. Emphasizing that agriculture is a strategic element for development, Seymen stated, “We cannot solve anything without solving agriculture in Turkey. First, we need to develop agriculture and Anatolia, and enrich farmers. We should start a national consciousness movement.”
Highlighting the importance of seeds, Cem Seymen remarked, “96% of seeds in Turkey are produced domestically. But they are not local. There is a terminology difference. They do not belong to us. The seed issue needs to be resolved urgently. Agricultural faculties have significant responsibilities in this regard. For this, a social demand must be formed. Breeding studies should be conducted. Full localization of seeds is necessary. I am on the consumer side. Let the professors conduct all the research. But as I said, we are eating incorrectly, shopping incorrectly, and consuming incorrectly. We need to change entirely and adapt to this change with our children.”
Cem Seymen pointed out that overnight, villages in Turkey were turned into neighborhoods, stating, “16,000 villages were destroyed along with their legal entities. The villagers also share the blame in this. We are ashamed of being villagers. It is seen as something to be ashamed of.” He expressed that abroad, there is a transfer of knowledge about farming from father to son, whereas in Turkey, farming is not practiced after one generation. He insisted that Turkey’s strategic profession should be agriculture. After understanding the value of seeds and agriculture, a structure without support from local government would be missing a leg. The local government knows the information in the capillary vein. Therefore, I congratulate Nilüfer Mayor Şadi Özdemir for organizing this workshop.”

“We govern with common sense”
In his closing speech at the workshop, Nilüfer Mayor Şadi Özdemir recalled that they promised to manage the city with common sense, stating, “We will combine our minds with professional groups, NGOs, and universities. We said we would try to do beneficial things for Nilüfer. This workshop is part of that. Lands are expensive, and young people do not want to live in rural areas. However, production is gradually decreasing in places where we have beautiful products. Therefore, this production needs to be revitalized. This is our concern,” he said.
Mayor Şadi Özdemir explained that they would ensure the increase of production, the establishment of sales channels, and the formation of cooperatives.

Suggestions from common sense tables
During the three-day workshop, discussions were held on the themes identified through common sense roundtable works, and suggestions were developed. On the last day of the workshop, the proposed solutions were shared with the audience. A representative from each of the ten tables, consisting of expert academics, civil society organizations, and public employees from various fields, presented the results.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ertan Güneş made a presentation on “Sustainable food systems,” while Prof. Dr. Hasan Vural informed about “Planning agricultural production and the role of cooperatives, contract farming.” Prof. Dr. İsmet Türkmen discussed “Sustainable livestock farming (Large and small ruminants),” Prof. Dr. Levent Aydın addressed “Sustainable livestock farming (Beekeeping),” Prof. Dr. Ümran Ertürk focused on “Sustainable plant production,” Prof. Dr. Ertuğrul Aksoy talked about “Protection of agricultural lands,” and Prof. Dr. Sertaç Dokuzlu examined “Creating sustainable markets and economic models.”
In his presentation, Prof. Dr. Erkan Yaslıoğlu discussed “Agricultural insurance, climate change, and risk management,” while Fikret Gizir brought up “Rural development and farmer support.” Prof. Dr. Selçuk Arslan provided explanations on “Agricultural innovation and digitalization.”
At the end of the program, participants planted 60 saplings in the May 19 Neighborhood in memory of the Agricultural Development and Cooperative Workshop.