Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Prof. Dr. Vahit Kirişci spoke at the presentation ceremony of the “Renovation of 2000 Village Schools and Transformation into Village Living Areas Project” held at Beştepe Millet Congress and Culture Center under the presidency of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and with the participation of Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer.
Kirişci stated that the direction of the project they will implement is the vision of the “Century of Turkey” and said, “This direction is to have everything in the city in the countryside, to strengthen infrastructures such as education, health, energy, and ultimately to encourage a return to the village.” used the phrase.
Stressing that agriculture is a matter of future and independence, Kirişci said that this issue has gained even more critical importance with global developments.
Pointing out that problems such as population growth, wars, migrations and epidemics, especially climate change, have made food security one of the most strategic issues, even a matter of national security, Kirişci said: He said that it is imperative for the population to be young, dynamic, governing and directing.
“WE SHOULD RETURN TO THE RURAL AND FOOD OUR PEOPLE WHERE THEY WERE BORN”
Noting that agricultural production must increase by 2050 percent at the global level until 60 in order to feed the increasing world population, Kirişci noted that despite limited resources, there is no other way and no solution other than increasing agricultural production.
Underlining that for this, it is necessary to increase productivity, maximize cultivation areas and human capital, and ensure sustainability with correct and effective methods, Kirişci continued as follows:
“We must return to the countryside and feed our people where they were born. Making the countryside attractive for our youth and women will add a strong dynamism to our human capital for our future. At the same time, we should encourage our children and our rural workforce potential to produce, and make them have the necessary knowledge and awareness.
In this context, we signed a cooperation protocol with the Ministry of National Education on the Village Life Centers Project on 1 November. Within the framework of the protocol, unused village school buildings will be transformed into kindergartens, primary schools and public education centers in line with the needs. We aim to increase the diversity of educational activities to be carried out in the 'village life centers' opened with this project and to make these centers a center of attraction. General, vocational and technical courses will be held here, and course programs will be developed in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, forestry, agricultural technologies and food. In addition to the courses to be organized within the scope of the protocol, production will be made in the village/neighborhood school application garden and lands with the support of our Ministry, and the income from this production will be used by the provincial and district national education directorates for the needs of these centers.”
Kirişci stated that the successful examples set by these centers will be promoted with the tours organized by the schools in the surrounding villages, neighborhoods, provinces and district centers, and that the provincial organization of the Ministries will cooperate on this issue.
Stressing that they will ensure that the training centers belonging to the ministries are used for farmer training activities within the framework of the common calendar and programs to be prepared, Kirişci said that joint activities and awareness activities for vocational and technical education will be constantly updated.
Underlining that joint training activities will be organized for teachers and students on topics such as developments in agricultural technologies, smart, digital, vertical and soilless agriculture, Kirişci stated that their biggest supporters in the field will be the headmen in these studies.
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