Participation of the PABSEC International Secretariat in the online Launch Event of the “Empowering Rural Smallholders in Türkiye Through Digital Marketing and Business Solutions in post Covid-19 Period” Report
Ms. Milena Ljubinkovic, Secretary of the PABSEC Economic, Commercial and Financial Affairs Committee took part in the online Launch Event of the “Empowering Rural Smallholders in Türkiye Through Digital Marketing and Business Solutions in post Covid-19 Period” Report, held on 3 June 2022.
The meeting was dedicated to the presentation of the “Empowering Rural Smallholders in Türkiye Through Digital Marketing and Business Solutions in post Covid-19 Period” Report which was conducted jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with the technical support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye. This Report is a follow-up study to the “Rapid Impact Assessment of Covid -19 Pandemic on the Agri-Food Sector and Rural Areas in Türkiye” conducted by FAO, IFAD, UNDP in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye that laid down policy recommendations for mitigation of the impact of the pandemic on agricultural livelihood in 2021.
The Report has been prepared with the aim to help mitigate the impacts of Covid-19 on the agriculture sector further and has been done in the implementation area of IFAD projects in Türkiye to empower rural smallholders through digital marketing. The specific focus of the Report was on digital tools and platforms for food and agricultural marketing, agricultural extension services, agricultural input purchases and rural finance. It has identified the important factors which could increase farmers’ use of digital platforms. Moreover, digital literacy is a factor that helps small-sized farms at times of crisis. Sustainable food systems demand strong market links which enable small-scale rural producers to reach more market information and to access the finance and knowledge they need to sustain agricultural production, contributing to rural development and the reduction of poverty in rural areas.
In the discussion participated Ms. Louisa Vinton, Resident Representative of UNDP in Türkiye, Mr. Viorel Gutu, Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia and FAO Representative in Türkiye, Mr. Bernard Hien, Director of IFAD Multi-Country Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia and Mr. Kerim Üstün, Director General for Agricultural Reform, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye. The main findings of the Report were presented by Assoc. Prof. Haluk Gedikoğlu, Research Expert.