Izmir Metropolitan Municipality is well known in Turkey for its investments to support agriculture. Recently, the municipality offered farmers education in the Urla and Cesme districts on organic agriculture. Farmers were handed their certificates together with organic fertilizers, bordeaux mixture, organic pesticides and an education toolkit. Moreover, the municipality promised to cover the producers' organic certification fees for three years.
For a healthy new generation
Aysel Ozkan, deputy secretary general of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality said that they contribute to the promotion of organic and ecological agriculture by organizing organic farmers' markets in the city and supporting the producers. Ozkan said: "For a sustainable ecosystem and healthy new generations we know that it is important to eat natural food without any additives. For the future of our kids, we fully support organic agriculture."
Production already started
After their "Organic Agriculture Education", farmers in the villages of Barbaros, Bırgi, Ildir and Kuscular had their lands analyzed. Then they started to grow mainly olives, fava beans, melon, artichoke and grapes. In total, farmers started to produce nearly 40 different certified organic products.
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality reached to a total of 520 producers to provide consultancy service.109 of these producers have completed their education on organic agriculture and got their certificates.
Source: Haberturk