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Press release…
In the first of the “FAO Discusses” events, where FAO will discuss the future and problems of the sector with important names from the food and agriculture sector, “innovation” was the agenda. The participants underlined that the future in the agriculture and food industry is in innovation and smart farming practices.
February 17, 2021; Ankara, Turkey –
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) held the first of the series of the events named “FAO Discusses” on Tuesday February 16, 2021 which was attended by leading figures in the agricultural sector.
Participants talked about the latest developments in agriculture and innovation under the moderation of FAO Deputy Representative of Turkey Dr. Ayşegül Selışık.
The online event started with the opening speech of Dr. Selışık. In her speech, Selışık said, “For FAO, the relationship between agriculture and innovation also requires handling agriculture and food as a food system integrity. Agricultural innovation is about the efficiency, competitiveness of both individuals and institutions, strengthening environmental sustainability and thus contributing to food security, nutrition, development and sustainable resource management. Therefore, this issue in our life needs to be discussed more. Innovation is more than technology for us. Innovation is also very important for family farmers.”
The event continued with the speech of Işınsu Kestelli, Chairwoman of İzmir Commodity Exchange. In her speech, Işınsu Kestelli explained that today agriculture is moving towards a completely different place, disease control and spraying are carried out with drones, weather changes are followed by mobile phones and everything from planting to harvest is provided by unmanned machines.
Indicating that it is not easy for farmers over a certain age to be able to master the developing technology, Kestelli noted, “Young generations are needed more than ever in order to implement smart agriculture. Therefore, we should encourage the young people to stay in the village and take care of their land.”
The conversation continued with the speech of Dr. Nevzat Birişik, General Director of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM).
Stating that the Ministry links the future of agriculture with R&D and innovation, Dr. Birişik added, “Turkey must do R&D and innovation as much as supports and infrastructure in order to thrive the agriculture. We must produce information and technology. Many technologies we use in agriculture are not developed for agriculture. If we can describe the problem well and read the picture correctly, we think that there are many technologies around us and they can be integrated into agriculture.”
Dr. Birişik also underlined the importance of recruiting young people in the agricultural sector.
Headline picture: janecragie.com
