Water-Centered Agricultural Production Strategies

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı stated that they have created new strategies for effective land use, water management and production planning, and said, “As of this year, we will implement planned production practices. We aim to increase agricultural productivity by producing strategic products in the most suitable place with water-centered agricultural production planning.”

According to a written statement from the ministry, Yumaklı attended the G20 Agriculture Ministers Summit held in Cuiaba, the capital of Brazil’s Mato Grosso state.

Following the opening session, ministers planted saplings in memory of the day, while Yumaklı, speaking at the First Session of the Ministerial Meeting, pointed out that developments in recent years have shown that responsibilities regarding resilient and sustainable agriculture and food systems are more important than ever.

Yumaklı stated that soil, water and food are strategic elements that determine national policies and global relations, and said, “In addition to the negative effects of climate change, crises such as Covid-19 and regional conflicts are increasingly affecting the entire world and threatening global food security. This shows that there is a close relationship between peace and security and the sustainability of agriculture. However, we cannot ensure the sustainability of agriculture without water. For this reason, we place water at the center of our agricultural policies.”

Yumaklı stated that the whole world is in a transition period and that they call this the “new normal” and continued as follows:

“In order to adapt to this new normal, we are creating new strategies for effective land use, water management and production planning. Now we will plan what, where and how much we will produce. As of this year, we will implement planned production practices. We aim to increase agricultural productivity by producing strategic products in the most suitable place with water-centered agricultural production planning. With all these policies, we aim to guarantee our food supply security and prevent our producers from encountering marketing problems during the harvest period.”

“It is important to spread sustainable agricultural practices”

Yumaklı emphasized that we need to work together for “Zero Hunger” and stated that although food is a basic human right, more than 800 million people do not have access to this right.

Yumaklı stated that he wanted to draw attention to the massacre in Gaza, which caused approximately 500 thousand people to face food insecurity, and said, “The massacre of Palestinians in Gaza is preventing millions of people from accessing food and water in an unacceptable way. This mental eclipse, which has been going on for almost a year, must end for the sake of humanity.”

Yumaklı drew attention to the fact that there are many regions that suffer from chronic hunger due to various reasons such as inadequate harvests or natural disasters that cause famine, as in Gaza, and said, “At this point, the importance of food trade becomes clear. The role of international trade in food security and nutrition is a sensitive issue that will directly affect food availability and the stability of food security. Trade can close this gap by transferring food from regions where food is more abundant to regions in need.”

Emphasizing that Turkey is increasingly integrated into global trade networks, Yumaklı said, “As Turkey, we recognize the importance of expanding sustainable agricultural practices. This approach will not only provide benefits, but will also be compatible with global efforts to address climate change and ensure the long-term resilience of food systems.”

Yumaklı pointed out that a sustainable future is not just a possibility but a necessity, and that the entire world must commit itself to a world that is environmentally safe, food sufficient and resilient to climate change.

Bilateral meeting with ministers of some countries

Minister Yumaklı also met with agriculture ministers from several countries as part of the summit. Yumaklı met with Brazil’s Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Carlos Favaro, who hosted the meeting, and Brazil’s Agricultural Development and Family Farming Minister Paulo Teixeira and Deputy Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Edipo Cruz.

Yumaklı met with Azerbaijani Agriculture Minister Majnun Mammadov, Saudi Arabian Environment, Water and Agriculture Minister Abdulrahman Al Fadley, Spanish Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Luis Planas, US Deputy Agriculture Secretary Xochitl Toores Small, and Russian Deputy Agriculture Minister Sergey Levin, who also attended the summit.