İzmir Became the First Province in Turkey to Have a Shepherd Map

Within the scope of the Mera İzmir project of the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, a Shepherd's Map was prepared, which includes the animal numbers and barn locations of the producers engaged in pasture farming in İzmir. İzmir became the first province in Turkey to have a shepherd map.

Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç SoyerWith the Mera İzmir project, which was implemented in line with the "Another Agriculture is Possible" vision of . The map is used for agricultural product planning prepared on a regional scale for the first time in Turkey.

With the work carried out by the İzmir Agriculture Development Center (İZTAM), which was established by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality in 2021, the pasture livestock database of İzmir was completed. The database work, which was initiated to maintain, develop and support pasture livestock in İzmir, will provide a basis for the purchase guarantee and sales guarantee support programs of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality.

Working in 30 districts of Izmir

Within the scope of the studies that started in January 2021, field research was carried out in 30 districts of İzmir. The Shepherd's Map, created with these studies, includes information such as the producers engaged in pasture livestock, the number of animals they own, and the locations of the corrals. Çoban Map was created by transferring the data collected as a result of the field studies carried out within the scope of the Mera İzmir project to the geographic information system. The data were collected by the product certification team of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality's company, İzDoğa, by visiting all the neighborhoods in Izmir and visiting the barn and shepherd shepherds. A total of 30 districts, especially the districts of İzmir where animal husbandry is concentrated, such as Menemen, Aliağa, Bergama and Kınık, were visited by field teams. As a result of the visit, it was determined that there were a total of 30 thousand 4 shepherds in 658 districts of İzmir. According to the results of the Shepherd's Map, there are a total of 142 thousand 384 pasture animals in İzmir, including approximately 16 thousand goats, 542 thousand sheep and 794 thousand black cattle grazing on the pasture.

President Soyer: We have allocated 295 million liras to support pasture livestock

President Tunç SoyerStating that the Shepherd Map was prepared for the first time in Turkey by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, he said: “We started this work to protect our villages that are emptied day by day and to fight poverty and hunger in our city. At the same time as our Mera İzmir project, we protect our water resources. Our Mera İzmir team knocked on the door of 4658 shepherds marked on this map one by one. He visited them in their corrals. Instead of silage corn, it determined the producers who do not want water, who make domestic feed plants and livestock. We buy the milk produced by those shepherds at almost double the price. We give 6 liras to goat's milk with a market of 10 liras, and 8 liras to sheep's milk whose market is 11 liras. Our municipal company, İzTarm, will process these healthy milks in the 100-ton-per-day dairy factory we set up in Bayındır. These products will reach poor neighborhoods all over our city. Our villagers will develop, the poor will be fed, and our water, land and national wealth will be protected.” Emphasizing that they allocated a budget of 105 million TL only for milk purchases in the Mera İzmir project, Mayor Soyer continued his words as follows: “The total budget allocated by our Municipality to support pasture animal husbandry is 295 million Turkish Liras, together with the facilities we have established and other purchases. Terra Madre Anadolu, which will take place in September 2022, will be the moment when small producers come together and Turkish agriculture meets the world again.”

The Manufacturer Must Comply With Certain Criteria

Shepherd Map is also used to determine the producer from which Izmir Metropolitan Municipality will buy milk. In order to purchase milk, the producer must put his animals on pasture at least 7 months of the year and must not feed them with forage crops such as silage corn that cause excessive water consumption. Thanks to the criteria, both the naturalness of the product is preserved and a step is taken in the fight against drought causes such as excessive water consumption.

Purchase Guaranteed Contracts Are Made Through Cooperatives

Mera İzmir Project is carried out with the partnership of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, the municipality's companies İzArim and İzDoğa and Köy-Koop. By evaluating pasture livestock data collected within the scope of the project, İzmir's agriculture and livestock strategies are shaped, contracts are made through cooperatives and milk purchases are made.

Thanks to the guaranteed milk purchases, the producer can continue to raise livestock. The products produced with the collected milk are planned to be put up for sale throughout Turkey and abroad, especially at the People's Grocery stores established by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. In addition, it is aimed that the products produced by the producer with a thousand and one effort will be purchased at their value and delivered to the table with the highest quality.