Two official committees are described in the law as part of the decision-making process of the organic sector. The ‘Organic Farming Committee’ in the Ministry is in charge of the implementation of the present law, including the supervision of the work within the Ministry and the authorized bodies, enterprises, entrepreneurs, inspectors, and certifiers. The committee has 20 members from different departments of MARA. The ‘Organic Farming National Steering Committee’ is in charge of the development of strategies for trade and promotion of organic production, including relevant research and monitoring services together with organizations and agencies outside the Ministry. With the broad and active participation of stakeholders, with 35 committee members representing governmental organizations and agencies, professional chambers, civil society organizations, universities, and the private sector, this committee is very effective.

The introduction of the law in 2004, in combination with strong lobbying by different stakeholders, especially increased the production and the product variety in the domestic market. A new law also facilitated the establishment of producers’ unions and cooperatives. As a result, some farmer organizations have been formed in addition to the exporting companies (77 companies in 2005), big farms, food manufacturers (361 certified operators in 2005), private traders, and investors. As an example, ORGUDER, the Association for Organic Food Producers and Industrialists, was established recently by the new investors.

NGO’s have played a big role in building awareness among consumers and producers. The first NGO, the Association of Ecological Agricultural Movements was founded by some exporters and professors of Egean University in Izmir. This organization has provided technical training, published the first introductory book on organic agriculture, and organized three national symposiums on organic agriculture. Bugday, founded in 1991, was another national movement that became a catalyst and facilitator, organizing events and lobbying, providing publications, and presenting practical examples that have been a strong ‘motor’ for the movement.

Despite many organizational initiatives, the lack of financial resources for capacity-building has hampered the possibilities for finding qualified people engaged in the organic sector. Much more could also be achieved with more cooperation.

Organic farming has been promoted as a unique tool for rural development in Turkey on the political level. The farmers have generally been motivated by economic possibilities, while the Turkish consumer generally sees organic as a healthy and tasty alternative.

Supporting structures: research, education and extension

‘Learning by doing’ and ‘believing only after seeing the example’ is part of Turkish tradition and culture, especially among the rural population. As a result, the first educational initiatives in organic agriculture were the ones carried out on farms and in the production units. This has been and will be an effective tool. The universities rarely gave courses in this field before 2000. In recent years, research on organic agricultural production has increased, and one University Branch specializing in organic production techniques opened in Kelkit in East Turkey in 2003 with the sponsorship of the Aydin Dogan Foundation.

The TaTuTa, a project for agro-tourism and exchange that receives hundreds of national and international volunteers and tourists annually, is another initiative that has played a role in consumer and producer education. TaTuTa started in 2003 and was run by NGOs with a little support from GEF SGP (United Nations Development Program Global Environment Fund Small Grants Program) in the first two years. It continued successfully with a growing number of organic farms (currently 70).

One national government project is ‘Extension of Organic Agriculture’, carried out in 29 establishments in 24 provinces and covering training, research and development projects, and extension studies on organic plant, animal and aquaculture products. The education MARA gave to its staff at the regional level was not effective because of discontinuity, lack of proper curricula, and frequent changes in positions by the people at those offices.

Some universities have made effective contributions in their research on organic farming by doing it in cooperation with some volunteer farmers at their farms, and sharing the results of their research directly with the interested farmers.

Lessons learned:

    The existing export market is a good start for building the organic sector and a domestic market, but a domestic market is necessary to develop organic farming further in Turkey.
     Lack of education in rural areas, especially lack of knowledge about organic farming, is a major obstacle.
     A large range of products is an important factor for the development of a domestic market.
     Foreign market actors and donors have played an important role in the development of the organic sector.
     Stakeholder involvement is crucial for good, relevant development of the national law, extension, research, and education.
     Engaged NGOs play an important role in promotion and lobbying for good development
     A government payment for organic production effectively leads to conversion, but the conversion is successful only if there is a market for the products.
     Organization of farmers in unions and cooperatives and having strong farmers’ networks are essential for market development.
     A clear common concept and logo is beneficial for building consumer trust. Another effective measure to build consumer interest and awareness is for producers to meet consumers on farms or in farmers’ markets.
     Lack of coordination and cooperation is a major limiting factor. A national action plan, where

e.g. specific roles for different stakeholders are described, is foreseen as an instrument to solve this problem.
•     Financial resources for capacity building are essential.