KEDV launches food resilience project in three earthquake-hit provinces

What happened

KEDV, the Foundation for the Support of Women’s Work, is implementing the Clean Bread Project in Hatay, Malatya and Adıyaman. It is intended to bring together small-scale farmers, producers, women’s cooperatives and other local participants involved in the regional wheat supply chain.

The project covers the route from locally grown wheat through milling and baking to retail. KEDV aims to improve coordination across this chain while supporting product quality, food safety and traceability. The planned model also seeks to give local producers stronger routes to market and opportunities to exchange knowledge and produce jointly.

Activities are expected to include recurring meetings, peer-learning sessions, technical training, mentoring and shared production spaces. The initiative also envisages branding, product standardisation and sales through multiple channels to help products reach wider markets.

Why it matters

Climate-related extreme weather, rising input costs and disasters have increased pressure on local agricultural production, according to the material. Frost, floods and fires have disrupted both farming and local food supply chains, making access to reliable information, collective networks and practical support more important for smaller producers.

The project focuses in particular on women farmers and cooperatives. It will support their organisation and encourage the wider cultivation of local wheat varieties among women producers and cooperatives. KEDV’s stated longer-term aim is a collectively sustained structure that can strengthen producers’ capacity and income prospects while increasing households’ access to safe bread.

Background

KEDV identified a growing need for knowledge-sharing, joint production and solidarity mechanisms after the 6 February earthquakes. The project frames stronger local production as part of a more resilient, inclusive and equitable food system that can better withstand disasters and the effects of climate change.

What's next

In later phases, participants are expected to jointly establish and apply standards covering food safety, hygiene, quality and traceability for bread and other wheat-based products. No timetable for these stages has been provided.