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Press release…
International Forestry Day was celebrated by FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey, hosted by the General Directorate of Forestry.
Ankara, March 27, 2025 — In order to draw attention to forest foods and raise public awareness on the subject, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry came together on the occasion of International Forestry Day. The event themed “Forest Foods for a Sustainable Future” hosted by the General Directorate of Forestry (OGM) drew attention to the contributions of forest ecosystems to food security and nutrition.
The event began with the opening speech of Dr. Ayşegül Selışık, Deputy Representative of FAO in Türkiye. Dr. Selışık emphasized that forests cannot be seen as consisting solely of trees and wood; they are also important for food, nutrition and human well-being.
The opening speeches continued with the speech of Bekir Karacabey, General Director of Forestry. Karacabey underlined that forests protect soil, reduce erosion and act as a filter for clean water resources, making them indispensable not only for the sustainability of food but also for the protection of agricultural lands.
The last opening speech of the day was made by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Abdulkadir Polat. Polat highlighted that forests not only provide clean air; they also contribute to the sustainability of the life cycle on earth by protecting soil and water resources.
Following the opening speeches, Sooyeon Laura Jin, Forestry Officer from the FAO Forestry Department, addressed the impact of forests on food systems worldwide with her presentation titled “Forests, Food Security and Nutrition from a Global Perspective.”
Then, experts from different countries and institutions shared their knowledge and experiences in the panel moderated by Ekrem Yazıcı, Forestry Officer of the FAO Central Asia Subregional Office (FAO-SEC). Jie Chen shared good practices implemented in China and examples of success in sustainable forest food systems. Private sector representative Çağrı Eşmekaya touched upon the role of the private sector in the sustainable production of forest foods, while Professor Dr. İlkay Erdoğan Orhan stressed the importance of medicinal plants grown in forests in the field of pharmacy. Özgür Balcı, Head of the Ecosystem Services Department of the General Directorate of Forestry of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, shared Türkiye’s experiences in forest food production and sustainable forest management approaches. Finally, FAO Senior Forestry Advisor Erdoğan Ertürk introduced FAO’s project approaches focusing on food security and ecosystem services.
