The Women Stars of Agriculture Project, launched by SuperFresh in 2022 to support the economic and social empowerment of women farmers, was shared with international participants within the scope of the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference (COP31).
The project implemented by SuperFresh, one of Türkiye's frozen food brands, was discussed in the panel held at the UN Pavilion within the scope of COP31.
On November 9, the Food, Agriculture and Health themed day of the conference, a panel titled "Women Cultivating Resilience: From Farm-Level Experience to Climate-Resilient Food Systems" was held, moderated by Esiyor.
The panel evaluated the role of women in the adaptation process to climate change and the future of climate-resistant food systems.
UN Women Turkey Country Director Maryse Guimond, Besler Vice President of Marketing and Sustainability Gülizar Doğan, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Champion Dilara Koçak and FAO Turkey Deputy Representative Dr. attended the event. Ayşegül Selışık participated as a speaker.
Makbule Karadeniz, one of the female farmers taking part in the Women Stars of Agriculture Project, shared her experiences in agricultural production with international participants.
Purchase of products worth 280 million from women farmers
Speaking at the panel, Besler Vice President of Marketing and Sustainability, Gülizar Doğan, stated that women have a significant potential in the agricultural sector and emphasized that their access to information, technology, finance and market should be strengthened.
Doğan stated that within the scope of the Women Stars of Agriculture Project, they support women producers with product purchases and incentives, as well as training and field support, and said:
"Women producers' access to information, technology, finance and market is one of the main issues of the future of agriculture. We attach importance to handling these opportunities together in SuperFresh's Women Stars of Agriculture project, which we initiated to support the economic and social empowerment of women farmers. We strengthen women producers with product purchases and incentives, as well as training and field support. Within the scope of the project, we have purchased 30 thousand tons and 280 million worth from women farmers to date. Under titles such as financial literacy, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship We provided training to more than 5,500 women. The rate of women among our contracted farmers reached 30 percent in 2025, while it was 5 percent in 2022. Our goal is to ensure that women farmers, who have a great potential in the transformation of agriculture, have a stronger voice and a greater role in the agricultural sector.
"Women's participation in decision-making processes is important"
UN Women Türkiye Country Director Maryse Guimond drew attention to the importance of women taking an active role in the transformation of agriculture and food systems and participating in decision-making processes.
Guimond stated that structural obstacles that limit women's leadership and participation in decision-making mechanisms should be removed and made the following evaluations:
"As UN Women, our aim is to eliminate the structural barriers that limit women's decision-making and action power and leadership. Thus, we aim to ensure that women have a say in the transformation of agricultural and food systems, direct this transformation and benefit equally from this transformation. There is a need for mechanisms that will ensure that the priorities and solution proposals put forward by women farmers and institutions are reflected in national policy and investment decisions and ultimately in the broader climate agenda."
Female farmer Makbule Karadeniz shared her experiences
Speaking at the panel, Makbule Karadeniz, one of the farmers of the Women Stars of Agriculture Project, touched upon the difficulties caused by climate change in agricultural production and emphasized the importance of education and solidarity among women producers.
Stating that he grows different agricultural products in Trabzon, Karadeniz stated that the fight against drought, excessive rainfall and pests is becoming increasingly difficult.
Karadeniz stated that she had the opportunity to gain new information and share experiences with women farmers in different regions of Türkiye with the project and said:
"I have been involved in agricultural production since my childhood. Today, I continue to grow and produce different products in Trabzon. However, in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to cope with changing climate conditions, drought, excessive rainfall and pests. We need to constantly learn and improve ourselves in order to adapt to this change. Thanks to SuperFresh's Female Stars of Agriculture project, I not only gained new information through free training, but also became part of a community where we can meet female producers from all over Türkiye, share our experiences and support each other. Women have been agricultural for thousands of years. They are involved in production, but their labor is not always visible enough. It is very important for women to have access to information, guidance and support, and to take part in communities where they can learn from each other. I hope that public institutions and the private sector will reach more women by increasing such projects."
