Local Sunflower Seed Development Project

In 2020, we launched the Local Sunflower Seed Development Project with our Yudum brand, in cooperation with the Seed Association and technical support from the Thrace Agricultural Research Institute. This project will be a turning point in the development of high-yield local seeds and increasing diversity in Turkey. With the project, we aim to develop local sunflower seeds in Turkey and obtain high-quality local varieties that will have a say in the world market in terms of yield and quality.  

Within the scope of the Local Sunflower Seed Development Project, the products obtained from 10 varieties of local seeds, which were first planted in three different trial fields determined in Tekirdağ Muratlı, Edirne Keşan and Istanbul Silivri districts in the Thrace region, were harvested in 2021. In the second year of our project, the crops of 10 varieties of sunflower seeds planted in the Thrace region were evaluated in terms of performance parameters such as productivity and oil content. From these 10 seeds, 5 varieties with performance above the accepted averages in the region and 5 new varieties developed were included in the trial study in Konya. A total of 10 varieties of local sunflower seeds were planted in the villages of Yağlıbayat, Yenikent, Göçü, Ovakavağı, Yarma and Karakaya in Konya.

Within the scope of the project, a farmer network was established with the participation of farmers from Thrace and Konya. While seed and training support was provided to farmers in the farmer network, priority was given to women, youth and those in need. Farmers benefited from face-to-face training and technical application support throughout the project.

The Local Sunflower Seed Development Project also stands out with its sociological dimension. Supporting women farmers within the scope of the project is seen as an important step in making the invisible labor of women in agriculture visible. Supporting young people who have moved away from farming, rural life and agriculture within the scope of the project is considered very valuable in terms of making agriculture attractive to young people. We are proud and happy to support women and young people with the Local Sunflower Seed Development Project.

The project will continue in various regions of Turkey in the coming years.

Grafting Delice Type Olive Trees to the Economy and Supporting Farmers Project

With the cooperation of our Yudum Egemden brand and Tohum Association, with the contribution of İzmir, Muğla and Balıkesir Regional Forestry Directorates, we started the Grafting of Delice Type Olive Trees, which are currently idle and unproductive, into the Economy and Supporting Farmers Project in 2022. In the project, for which İzmir Olive Research Institute provides technical support, wild olive trees called delice will be brought into the economy and for the use of farmers.

The olive tree that grows naturally in nature is called wild olive or oleaster. Wild olives are transformed into cultivated plants by grafting and improving them, and they become productive. In the Project for Grafting Wild Olive Trees to the Economy and Supporting Farmers, which we launched in Manisa in 2022, 1500 wild olive trees were grafted first. Within the scope of the project, a total of 4500 wild olive trees will be grafted, 1500 each in Aydın and Balıkesir provinces in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The grafted trees will be entrusted to farmers through Agricultural Development Cooperatives established in the villages that will benefit from the project. Thus, farmers will be supported thanks to the olive trees that will be added to the economy.  

In addition, thanks to the “Farmer Network” established in the villages, farmers are informed about the entire process, and training activities and important agricultural information are announced through this network.