Bornova Municipality organized a Seed Exchange Festival to protect local seeds and promote sustainable agriculture and opened the Bornova Municipality Ecological City Local Seed Center.
The festival, which was held with the participation of many municipalities, civil society organizations and cooperatives from all over Turkey, included events such as free seed sharing, seed ball making workshops and panels. Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki emphasized that the protection of local seeds is of critical importance in terms of agricultural independence and ecological sustainability.
The festival, which was attended by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, 11 metropolitan municipalities, 14 district municipalities and many local seed associations and cooperatives, attracted great attention at the Bornova Central Covered Marketplace. Thousands of citizens, not only from Bornova but also from surrounding districts and provinces, contributed to the protection of biodiversity by sharing seeds from different regions of Anatolia with the people of Bornova.
In his speech at the opening ceremony, which was also attended by Bayındır Mayor Davut Akarsu, Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki emphasized that the protection of local seeds is not only an agricultural issue, but also a struggle for food sovereignty and ecological sustainability.
Mayor Eşki said, “Our local seeds are rapidly disappearing due to industrialized agricultural policies. This is not just a farmer’s problem, it is an issue that concerns all of our common future. Starting from Bornova, we are working to keep the core values of these lands alive. As Bornova Municipality, we are protecting this heritage by bringing the Ecological City Local Seed Center to life. We have to protect our lands, seeds and future. Because without agricultural independence, a truly sustainable future is not possible.”
