Conservation of Kirazli Village Agricultural Biodiversity via Promoting Landraces Production
Conservation of Kirazli Village Agricultural Biodiversity via Promoting Landraces Production
The project aims to revitalise the local agrobiodiversity of the Kirazli Village, which is marked with a species of black cherry, a local olive variety and a grape variety as landraces. There are also several local vegetables varieties slowly disappearing in Turkey, that managed to survive in Kirazli village. Black cherry, pink tomatoes, white gumbo, speckled long watermelon, black long watermelon, chamber bean, bream pea, cowpea, ?Kadınbudu? watermelon? These are some of the local agricultural products produced in the Aydın Kusadası Kirazlı village. Through generations, at harvesting time, the most appealing products are selected; their seeds taken and conserved for the next plantation. However, as generations change, the challenge now for the farmers in Kirazlı has become survival, in an era and area of increasing reliance on trade seeds of agricultural products and developing tourism. Kirazlı Ecological Life Society?s president Nihat Firat defines the aim of the project as: ?Our goal is to continue our existence, where the fruits and vegetables are still local and the village is still a village?. The project started in May 2006 receives support from Değirmen Farm and the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP). The Society is now working towards establishing an organic nursery for local vegetables, as well as towards the high-quality, branded and standardized production, processing and packaging of local fruits. The brandname that has been chosen by the villagers is ?KÜPLÜCE?, which is the former name of the village.
 
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Project Snapshot

Grantee:
Kirazli Ecological Life Association
Country:
Turkiye
Area Of Work:
Biodiversity
Land Degradation
Grant Amount:
US$ 37,000.00
Co-Financing Cash:
US$ 34,500.00
Co-Financing in-Kind:
US$ 12,400.00
Project Number:
TUR/OP3/2/06/03
Status:
Satisfactorily Completed
Project Characteristics and Results
Notable Community Participation
The project is designed by the locals together with their partner company Degirmen. There is a significant level of local involvement in project design and implementation.
Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods
The village CBO and its partner Degirmen Company, a local private farm, focus on organic production of this local fruit and vegetable varieties and to market them. The project also attempt to certify the local seeds as organic seeds, which would be revolutionary in Turkey since certified organic vegetable seeds are non-available in Turkish markets, all that is available is imported thus is never a local variety.
Indicators
Biophysical
Number of globally significant species protected by project 5

SGP Country office contact

Ms. Gokmen Argun
Phone:
90-312 4541131
Fax:
90-312 4961463
Email:
Ms Basak Okay
Phone:
+90312 454 11 32
Email:

Address

Yildiz Kule, Yukari Dikmen Mahallesi, Turan Gunes Bulvari, No:106, 06550, Cankaya,
Ankara, RBEC, 06610

Country Website