"1000 Farmers, 1000 Abundance" for Climate-Friendly Production

Istanbul Technical University Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Filiz Karaosmanoğlu stated that through the "1000 Farmers 1000 Prosperity" program, farmers learn digital farming applications, thereby reducing both their own costs and the environmental cost of agricultural production. The "1000 Farmers 1000 Prosperity" program was launched in 2019 by Cargill Turkey to increase farmer productivity and welfare, support digital and social transformation in the field, and promote sustainable practices in agriculture. Through the free program, farmers gain knowledge in digital soil analysis, digital farming tools, and financial literacy while having access to advisory services whenever needed. Training provided by subject-matter experts, including academics, enriches farmers' local experience with new knowledge and technologies. Field sustainability management activities within the program are carried out through Cargill Turkey and Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) cooperation with the İTÜNOVA Technology Transfer Office.

"Reducing agriculture's cost to the planet"

Providing information about the program to AA correspondent, Karaosmanoğlu noted that "1000 Farmers 1000 Prosperity" is Turkey's first institutional corporate social responsibility project focused on sustainable production in the field. Karaosmanoğlu said, "Through digital farming application in the program, farmers technically understand their soil well and correctly. They learn the impacts they see and do not see. They consume their fertilizer, chemicals, water, and energy efficiently. This means resource efficiency; production that is human, nature, environment, and climate friendly. Thus, both our farmers' financial costs and the environmental cost of agricultural production decrease." Sharing information that 14 provinces reached over 4,000 sunflower, canola and corn producers under the program, Karaosmanoğlu stated that they address farmer training, on-site solutions to plastic and hazardous plastic waste problems in the field, energy-water-resource efficiency, climate literacy and carbon footprint reduction.

Product carbon footprint determined through "Life Cycle Assessment"

Karaosmanoğlu stated that in the first phase of the project they worked on "Zero Waste in the Field," and in Konya and Karaman pilot region studies, they developed a "Zero Waste Management System in the Field" by mapping waste with field data. He emphasized that they created added value by ensuring plastic and hazardous plastic waste from the field are evaluated as alternative fuel in cement production or as raw materials within the recycling chain in the legal supply chain. Noting that they also implemented a "Life Cycle Assessment" project within the program that determines the carbon footprint of sunflower, canola and corn in fields of different sizes in pilot regions and reveals their environmental costs, Karaosmanoğlu stated, "Life Cycle Assessment is an important decision-making and comparison tool for identifying environmental impacts of a product or service at different stages of its life, determining all effects on soil, air, water, living organisms and climate, reducing inputs, and implementing best waste-water-energy management."  

"Waste must create added value for the business world"

Prof. Dr. Filiz Karaosmanoğlu drew attention to the importance of responsible production and consumption to achieve the "end hunger" goal among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, stating: "For sustainable agriculture, energy, water and waste management must be carried out with the best technologies. Minimizing the amount of fertilizer and agricultural chemicals, consuming them properly with appropriate formulas is essential. This also reduces packaging waste. All waste from the field, woody waste and residues as well as plastic waste must create added value for the business world within the legal supply chain. Our farmers, who are both consumers and producers, must manage their waste in the best possible way."   Stating that they achieved an important first in the "Social Impact Measurement and Social Return on Investment (SROI)" ratio, where the social impact of implemented projects is measured and calculated at a 1:1 ratio, Karaosmanoğlu provided information that every TRY 1 of investment in the 1000 Farmers 1000 Prosperity program reached social returns of TRY 2.53, TRY 2.78 and TRY 3.03 respectively in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Emphasizing the need for proper management of energy, water and waste, and the importance of sustainable living culture to apply this understanding to all areas where consumption occurs, Karaosmanoğlu concluded his remarks as follows:

"As a society, we must not forget that waste is national wealth. Wood, glass, metal, plastic, textiles, used frying oil, spent mineral oil and even an automobile are raw materials. The world's resources are limited. To support current and future generations, we must create, protect and sustain conditions in which people and nature can exist in productive harmony. We must ensure our resources and natural capital remain sustainable, balance interactions between water and land ecosystems, and each of us must fulfill our responsibilities for sustainable living at home, at work, at school, on the road, in the field, in the forest."   Source