Stories from İş Bank that renew hope on International Women Farmers' Day

Since 2008, the United Nations (UN) has been celebrating International Women’s Day every year on October 15th to highlight the critical role played by women farmers in agricultural production, rural development, and ensuring food security. The stories of women farmers, who include their surroundings in production and contribute to the development of their village, district, or city, will become even more significant in 2025, which has been declared the “Year of Cooperatives” by the UN in recognition of the importance of co-production and solidarity. Entering its second century, İş Bankası organized an event for the third time this year to celebrate International Women’s Day, where women farmers shared their journeys from past to present. “Women’s cooperatives are a symbol of not only economic but also social solidarity” Speaking at the opening of the event, İş Bankası Deputy General Manager Sezgin Yılmaz stated that although 2 million of the 5 million agricultural producers in our country are women, the rate of women registered in the Farmer Registration System is only 15 percent. Yılmaz said, "Women, who shoulder the burden of agriculture, are still relegated to the background when it comes to income sharing and decision-making mechanisms. Yet, World Bank and FAO research indicates that if women had the same opportunities as men, the global income we would generate from agricultural production would be at least $1 trillion more. If women produce, they not only increase production but also quality, sustainability, and social welfare. From this perspective, we will always maintain our positive approach to women." Yılmaz stated that empowering women in agricultural production is key to many global goals, from the fight against hunger to the climate crisis, and emphasized the importance of women's cooperatives, emphasizing that they are symbols of not only economic but also social solidarity. Sezgin Yılmaz explained that they provide women with easy access to online markets through the New Generation Farmer Women Meetings, providing women with digital marketing, branding, and financial literacy training. He added that women producers can sell their products through Pazarama, an online shopping platform affiliated with İş Bankası, without paying commissions or shipping fees, thus generating over 7 million TL in revenue since March 2024. She explained that this year, they organized a campaign to take the three highest-selling female producers to the Netherlands so they could experience successful examples in agriculture, and that they plan to organize a similar technical trip with six more women next year. "When women work together, they build brand value and earn more." In her speech, Dr. Ayşegül Selışık, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Representative in Turkey, pointed out that access to food is a critical problem worldwide, stating that according to 2024 data, 720 million people are still struggling with hunger, while both natural resources and the number of workers in agriculture are declining. Selışık emphasized that a sustainable future can be achieved by empowering women living in rural areas. Stating that agriculture must absolutely be prioritized and that women farmers should be held in high regard, Selışık explained that with this perspective, they are implementing a program for women-led cooperatives, providing training specifically on bringing local production to digital markets with certain standards, and that they are currently working with 38 cooperatives in 19 provinces. Selışık said, "Cooperatives are important, women's solidarity is important. When women work together, they create brand value, produce high value-added products, and earn more. Let's act hand in hand. Let's continue our collaboration. Let's strive to strengthen cooperatives this year and next." Inspiring stories from women in agriculture At the "Women's Power: Future of Agriculture" event, women who wrote their own stories in different areas of agricultural production shared their hope-restoring journeys. Kamile Kıvrak, a sheep and goat breeder in Antalya, explained that her farming journey started with 60 goats and now has a flock of 200 small cattle. She explained that when her sheep got lost, she decided to buy a drone she had seen at weddings and that she had learned how to use it online to follow her flock with two drones with night vision feature that she learned how to use. Dr. Ece Aynur Onur, while working as an academic at Indiana University in the US, shared her story of returning to her ancestral homeland after suffering losses in her family and then settling in and transforming a village of 30, which had suffered drought due to poor agricultural practices. Songül Güleç, President of the Artos Women's Agricultural Development Cooperative in the Gevaş district of Van, explained that they, along with seven other women, produce entirely organic products like honey and pollen in the cooperative they founded, and that they aim to expand internationally. Güleç explained that the women's beekeeping initially drew criticism, but over time, other women began to show interest, and she wanted her children to take up beekeeping, expressing her joy at introducing them to agriculture. Çiğdem Onbey, who established a cattle farm in the village of Kayalı, Kırklareli, where she immigrated from Uşak, explained that her farm story began with five cows, eventually growing to 70 animals, and that her family's support throughout this journey was immense. She explained that she cared for the animals at five in the morning, regardless of rain, mud, or cold, feeding them hay and feed, and calling her cows "daughter" and "son." Onbey explained that she and her daughters help her husband, who runs a village coffeehouse, and shared that the presence of a woman in the coffeehouse initially drew criticism from the villagers, but over time, the clean atmosphere and delicious tea attracted everyone's attention, and prejudices were broken down. Cahide İmre, who grows tropical fruit at İso Baba's Farm in Bodrum, explained that she was born in Mardin to a large family. She couldn't walk until she was 2.5 years old. With the support of her mother, she moved to Izmir for treatment, where she began walking thanks to a diet of goat's milk. İmre, who has been growing tropical fruit for eight years on land she inherited from her family in Bodrum, despite all the hardships, explained that they produce products like jam, with her own recipe, and that she can even make jam by adding Asian spices to hot peppers. She added that all this success is made possible by the support of women.

Menekşe Koyuncu, who has been involved in agriculture and animal husbandry since a young age and produces worm castings in the Yahyalı district of Kayseri, explained that she was selected from a women's farming competition among 500 participants. She then went to Vienna for training and began cultivating worm castings. Koyuncu also noted that she can grow all the vegetables from the Central Anatolian region in her garden, has never used chemical fertilizers, and that her engineer son also wants to cultivate greenhouses and produce compost, emphasizing the immortality of soil.

UAV

Reporter: News Center