CREATING PRODUCT-OWNING, CONSCIOUS AND WELL-TRAINED WORKERS
ORIENTATION TRAININGS
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY TRAININGS
HYGIENE & SANITATION TRAININGS
Our organic farmers enrolled in the Happy Village Project are in dire need of seasonal workers to harvest the produce, especially during the harvest period. Işık Tarım provides orientation, occupational health and safety, hygiene and sanitation trainings to workers who come for 1-2 months to collect products in the fields and gardens in order to create conscious and educated workers who take ownership of the product. In addition to trainings, we have many projects certified under Fair for Life, Certified Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance to ensure that seasonal workers live and work in fair and good conditions.
ENSURING THAT WORKERS LIVE AND WORK IN FAIR AND DECENT CONDITIONS
PROJECTS TO IMPROVE WORK & LIVING CONDITIONS
Akmağara Project
This project is a social project carried out in 2011 in order to provide a more comfortable, cleaner, healthier and sanitary accommodation for the seasonal workers of Happy Village producers who are engaged in organic apricot cultivation in and around Akmağara village in Hekimhan district of Malatya province. For this purpose, the old school building in Akmağara was maintained and renovated and a facility was established for 20 people in total, with toilets and bathroom facilities. With this project, the accommodation and housing conditions of seasonal workers have been improved, as well as preventing the problems of producers in finding workers, and very important and effective steps have been taken in terms of food safety.
Akköy Project
This project is a social project that was carried out in 2013 to ensure that the seasonal workers of Happy Village producers, who are engaged in organic grape growing in Akköy and its vicinity in Turgutlu district of Manisa province, are provided with accommodation and shelter in a more comfortable, cleaner, healthier and regular conditions. For this purpose, the old school building in Akköy has been maintained and renovated to accommodate the workers, and an additional prefabricated independent building has been built next to the school building and a facility where a total of 25 people can stay with toilets and bathroom facilities has been established. With this project, the accommodation and housing conditions of seasonal workers have been improved, as well as preventing the problems of producers in finding workers, and very important and effective steps have been taken in terms of food safety.
Bekirler Village Project
Happy Village is a project to build a new drinking water tank in addition to the existing water tank and to find a new water source to feed the system in order to prevent the lack of drinking water in Bekirler village of Nazilli district of Aydın, where organic fig cultivation is carried out and the population increases up to 1000 people in the summer months. Within the scope of this project, a water tank with a capacity of 90 tons was built in 2009-2010 in Bekirler Village and a source was found 7 km away to feed this water tank and the water of this source was brought to this tank with pipes and the tank was connected to the drinking water system of the village.
Hazelnut Silo Project
Happy Village initiated the "Hazelnut Silo Project" in 2017 in order to prevent loss of income and prevent product losses by ensuring that hazelnuts are kept in a safer, healthier and controlled environment to reduce yield and quality losses after hazelnut harvest and to prevent aflatoxin formation in the product. Within the scope of the project, a silo was constructed on the land belonging to IŞIK Agriculture next to the hazelnut factory in the town of Ormanlı in Ereğli, Zonguldak, for the use of producers.
Happy Hazelnut Project
The Turkish Black Sea region offers the optimal climate conditions for the cultivation of hazelnuts. More than two-thirds of the worldwide hazelnut production is grown here. Unfortunately, Turkish hazelnuts are not only known for their quality; they are also known for the harsh working conditions faced by those who harvest and their families. Happy Hazelnut wants to change these working conditions.
Happy Hazelnut was launched in 2013 with the aim of contributing to a socially and environmentally sustainable hazelnut production in Turkey. We work toward this goal by offering concrete and innovative solutions to the local challenges.
The Happy Hazelnut Foundation was founded jointly by ISIK TARIM and its long-term partner yourharvest AG (former Varistor AG). The foundation ensures that the Happy Hazelnut initiative is funded in the long-term and is thus committed to a transparent, sustainable and child-labour free value chain for Turkish hazelnuts.
FARMER SUPPORT
The organic production of hazelnuts is labour intensive. The hazelnut trees must be cut regularly, and the weeds in the fields must be cut manually. The farmers monitor the plantations constantly to identify potential pests early and treat them immediately.
The hazelnut producers are supported by agronomists throughout the year. Various training activities are carried out in the field or in the village tea house. The workshops comprise a range of activities, such as having agronomists help in filling out the numerous documents needed for compliance with certifications or having farmers learn how to follow and comply with the different production standards and how to manage their plantations professionally.
The main part of the hazelnut production costs is the cost of labour to employ workers and costs for organic fertilizers, both of which incur before the producers sell their harvest. Not all farmers have enough money to sell their hazelnuts. Happy Hazelnut producers who need financial assistance get support from Işik Tarim, which pre-finances a large part of the costs. After the harvest, the repayment is made by offsetting the credit with the money gained in when selling the hazelnuts.
In organic agriculture, only special fertilizers that are not easily accessible are permitted. All Happy Hazelnut farmers can purchase fertilizers through Işik Tarim.
The Happy House
The hazelnut harvest in Turkey is extremely labour intensive. Numerous harvest helpers travel each year from other parts of the country to work in the hazelnut region. These migrant workers usually live with their families in provisional tent camps during the harvest. Child labour and a lack of hygienic standards are common problems.
To address this situation, we built the Happy House in 2014, which has an integrated summer school for the children. It accommodates around 60 people during the harvest time. A five-person management team, consisting of volunteer farmers from Paşalar, takes care of the house. In the off-season, the facilities are used to teach children from the village in their free time or to celebrate village festivals or marriages.
It is important for our Happy Hazelnut partners to provide clean and tidy accommodations in which the workers feel comfortable..
Summer school in the Happy House
During their parents’ working hours, our team takes care of the children in the Happy House. A professional teacher is responsible for the preparation of an engaging curriculum. In addition to providing regular meals, we also make sure the children have access to hands-on activities, singing, playing and dancing.
Children who live with their parents in farmer accommodations surrounding the villages are transported to the Happy House every day.
Aşağıdağ Village - Hazelnut Area
The Project aims to address multiple objectives including the enchancement of the well-beig villagers and seasonal workers, improvement water management, community development, food safety, promotion of sustainable living and fostering a sense of solidarity.
There is water shortages in the region during the working period of seasonal workers. For this reason, the project deemed appropriate for the region.
Regarding to this project, an additional water source was found within the village boundaries. The water was carried to the village by a pipe with a length of 2500m. 30 MT water depot was built in the village.
The primary aims of this projects are ; to improve the accommodation and hygiene conditions of workers, to increase the insufficient water resources for villagers and workers, providing water to village primary school and fountain in the Village, construction of new fountain in the Village Avenue.
Aydın Bekirler Village
The objective of the Initiative is to establish a community hub in the village.
This initiative aims to provide a platform for children to actively partake in sports and entertaintment activities, thereby fostering a holistic development environment and to make a social contribution towards the personal development of both children and individuals living in that location.
Through this project a versatile social facility was put into the service of the village. A playground and sports area were constructed for the use of children.
HAPPY KIDS, HAPPY VILLAGES
We support the educational activities of the children of our producers and those around them.
By creating coding and software classes, we ensure that children receive technology-based education.
We encourage girls to do sports by supporting them with sports activities and help them develop their social skills.
We focus on improving playgrounds and increasing the level of safety.
We undertake the maintenance of school equipment.
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