Donor
Consulate General of Sweden in Istanbul, within Sweden’s reform cooperation strategy with the Western Balkans and Türkiye for 2021 to 2027, with a focus on human rights and gender equality
Duration
10 months
Geographical Area
Türkiye’s Black Sea hazelnut producing region, including Ordu, Giresun, Sakarya and Düzce
Project Description
Women play a central role in Türkiye’s hazelnut production and seasonal agricultural workforce. Yet they continue to face structural inequalities in access to land, resources and decision making, alongside heightened risks associated with informal employment, exploitation and gender based violence.
Fields of Solidarity brings together women hazelnut producers and seasonal migrant women workers through a rights based and gender sensitive approach. Recognising the important role of women producers in shaping working conditions at orchard level, the project strengthens their capacity to identify and address gender related risks while fostering solidarity with seasonal migrant women and girls.
Through training, practical guidance and sectoral engagement, the project aims to contribute to safer and more equitable working conditions and to promote gender equality throughout the hazelnut supply chain.
Aim
The project aims to engage up to 200 women hazelnut producers through face to face training and community mobilisation, promote gender sensitive practices across the hazelnut supply chain and strengthen rights based solidarity between local women producers and seasonal migrant women workers.
Key Activities
- Conducting a baseline field assessment in selected hazelnut producing provinces in the Eastern and Western Black Sea regions
- Developing a practical Gender Equality in Agriculture Guide tailored to the realities of hazelnut production
- Delivering face to face training sessions for women producers on gender equality, prevention of violence, nonviolent communication and access to agricultural resources
- Facilitating sectoral dialogue with hazelnut sourcing and export companies to introduce the Guide and raise awareness of gender related risks within the supply chain
- Monitoring and evaluating project implementation and disseminating the model among relevant stakeholders
Target Groups
Direct target groups: Women hazelnut producers in Ordu, Giresun, Sakarya and Düzce, local cooperatives and producer groups, and hazelnut sourcing and export companies.
Indirect target groups: Seasonal migrant women workers, including women from Kurdish, Arab and refugee communities, families and communities of participating producers, private sector supply chain actors, civil society organisations and local institutions.
Expected Results
- A stronger network of women producers promoting rights based solidarity with seasonal migrant women workers
- Increased awareness of gender related risks and more effective practices for creating safer working environments in hazelnut orchards
- A practical sectoral guide supporting responsible business conduct and gender sensitive approaches across the hazelnut supply chain
- A sustainable and scalable model for integrating gender equality and human rights considerations into agricultural supply chains
