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Support
HasNa Turkey Program Quick Links
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Follow-Up Projects In an effort to encourage further realization of the goals of HasNa participants and further contribute to development in HasNa’s program areas, HasNa supports a number of pilot projects undertaken by its program graduates which follow-up on the skills they acquired during training. HasNa places a great emphasis on follow-up activities because they reinforce the professional and conflict resolution skills participants learn during training and disseminate them to others members of the participant’s local community to help the area develop. Follow-up projects take many different forms. Generally, they seek to achieve one or more of the following:
Past follow-up projects include:
The Greenhouse Project began in 2008 when Mustafa Calpan, a GAP engineer and graduate of our Farm Extension Worker training program, proposed that HasNa sponsor the construction of a greenhouse for a widowed woman named Esmer Kaydas living outside of Diyarbakir, Turkey with her family. Calpan enlisted the help of the local government, which offered land, seeds and technical expertise to match the construction material provided by HasNa. Besides offering much needed financial security for the family that received the greenhouse, the project offers a compelling model for a more efficient and productive form of year-round agriculture that other farmers in the region can benefit from. A number of local farmers attended the greenhouse’s opening, which also included a reception at which the benefits of greenhouse agriculture were explained. Since then at least 10 farmers have contact Mr. Calpan to express their interest in starting greenhouses of their own. This project shows how women and HasNa graduates can take a leading role in finding new and innovative ways to provide for their families. Plum Trees as an Alternative Crop in the GAP Region
In 2006, HasNa awarded a small grant to Servet Abrak, a participant in HasNa’s water resource management training in 2002, to demonstrate for other farmers in his village how to grow plums. Fruit grows particularly well in the Sanliurfa province, yet many farmers are still wary of straying from traditional crops such as wheat, barley, cotton and corn even in spite of their low yield and low profit. This is largely due to insufficient technical knowledge of fruit cultivation. Mr. Abrak’s aim was therefore to teach fifteen farmers in his village how to prepare, plant, and prune plum saplings and how to properly irrigate and fertilize the trees. Through a hands-on learning technique, many farmers were able to plant their own plum orchards and successfully market their fruit to the local community. Though the project was only funded for one year, Mr. Abrak continued to plan group meetings with the farmers to follow-up on their progress. Sanliurfa HasNa Participants Coordination Project In support of HasNa’s program graduates, HasNa awarded a small grant to Servet Yazar in 2006 to assess the ongoing needs of past HasNa training participants currently working in the Sanliurfa province. Mr. Yazar, who participated in HasNa’s water resource management training in 2000, interviewed twenty-six people, all of whom worked as managers of the Irrigation Associations in the province, about what problems and concerns they have faced since attending a HasNa training session. The results of Mr. Yazar’s survey helped to enhance communication between the graduates and coordinate joint ventures as well as created the mechanisms for improved problem solving. Drip Irrigation System for Pistachio Gardens in Sanliurfa
In 2006 HasNa awarded a small grant to Servet Yazar, a graduate of HasNa’ water resource management training in 2000, to carry out a two-year project to promote drip irrigation systems for pistachio trees in Sanliurfa, Turkey. The purpose of Mr. Yazar’s project was to introduce a modern irrigation system to fellow farmers to demonstrate how they could increase the yield of their pistachio trees from every other year to every year and how they could improve the quality of the pistachio fruits. After installing an irrigation system on his five-acre pistachio garden in 2006, Mr. Yazar noted a 40-50% increase in yield. Though pistachios are a major source of income for farmers in southeastern Turkey, drip irrigation systems had not been previously applied to the region largely because farmers did not believe pistachios needed irrigation. Yet after observing the immensely positive results Mr. Yazar was achieving and learning from his sample project, Mr. Yazar’s neighboring farmers began building their own irrigation systems starting in the fall of 2007. Encouraging Fava Bean and Pea Cultivation during the Winter in the GAP Region
In response to a need by small land farmers in Sanliurfa, Turkey to increase their yearly profits, HasNa awarded a small grant to Servet Abrak in 2005 to create an educational fava bean and pea cultivation project. Mr. Abrak, who participated in HasNa’s water resource management training in 2002, felt that fava beans and peas grown during the winter would be an excellent supplement to small land farmers’ income. Through a hands-on training program, local farmers learned how to prepare the soil, install an irrigation system, plant, fertilize, harvest, and market their crop. Prior to this program there had been no other examples of fava bean and pea cultivation in the region. By implementing the techniques they learned in the program, the participants increased their incomes, created job opportunities for their community, and passed the knowledge they had learned on to their neighboring farmers. Encouraging others to grow fava beans and peas has helped to further development in the region and has led to an increase in the cultivation of alternative crops. Strawberry Cultivation as an Alternative Crop in the GAP Region
In 2005, HasNa awarded a small grant to Cetin Sen, a graduate of HasNa’ water resource management training in 2003, to start a program in Sanliurfa, Turkey teaching local small land farmers about strawberry production. Recent developments in irrigation had made it possible for farmers in the region to grow cotton, yet due to the large cost of cultivation, small land farmers were not able to make enough money from their crop to earn a living. Mr. Sen’s goal for the strawberry cultivation program was to teach these farmers how to grow and market an alternative crop – strawberries – so that they would be able to earn a greater profit off their land. Local farmers received hands-on training from the planting process all the way through harvesting and marketing. Mr. Sen’s program not only gave small land farmers the opportunity to increase their income, it also created many new job opportunities, especially for women. Once farmers realized the profit they were making, they were more willing to try alternative crops. Most importantly, though, these farmers gained the self-confidence and the ability to make a meaningful impact on their community. In 2004, HasNa awarded a small grant to Servet Yazar to create Harran Su, a newspaper which provides those in the agricultural sector information on new farming techniques, irrigation and water use innovations, and the resources available to the farming community.
Mr. Yazar, who participated in HasNa’s water resource management training in 2000, sought to familiarize farmers in southeastern Turkey with the latest farming developments and to develop a network of individuals who will be able to share farming skills with one another. Mr. Yazar also saw Harran Su as an opportunity to work with and connect farmers from Turkey’s diverse cultural groups. In 2006, Mr. Yazar received another small grant from HasNa to follow up on the progress Harran Su had made in the two years since it was created. Harran Su had recently merged with Tekno GAP, a well know agricultural newspaper in Turkey, in order to provide a stronger publication. HasNa’s small grant helped to expand the distribution of Harran Su as well as develop the capabilities of the newspaper’s staff. Strengthening Relations between Farmers and the Water Users’ Association in the Harran Plain In 2004, HasNa awarded a small grant to Fatih Yildiz, a participant of HasNa’s water resource management training program in 2000, to conduct interviews and informational sessions with farmers and water engineers of the Harran Plain in southeastern Turkey regarding their often tense relationship with each other. Agriculture is the main source of income in southeastern Turkey and therefore, maintaining a positive relationship between farmers and water engineers is important to the development of the region. The study aimed to assess the local farmers’ understanding of the Water Users’ Association (WUA), its functions, and past work as well as to inform the farmers of their rights to water and land usage. The study also sought to assess how well the WUA understood the farmers’ water needs and the internal grievances among the water engineers. Through questionnaires, interviews, group meetings, and mapping of the irrigation network, Mr. Yildiz revealed several key problems that have hindered relations between the two groups. Problems included (1) insufficient and poorly maintained drainage canals which resulted in a decreased crop yield and damaged roads; (2) water shortages; and (3) conflict between how much water farmers felt they could take and how much control the WUA felt they had over water distribution. By making both parties conscious of the problems which existed, Mr. Yildiz’s study helped to open the lines of communication between the WUA and the farmers. Both water officials and farmers have started changing their attitudes towards one another and are now more willing to work together to address problems. |
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HasNa
Inc., founded in 1998, is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
based in Washington, D.C. |
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