Food chain partnership - a bridge to the world for Turkish horticultural produce

Turkey is a leading producer of fresh, dried and processed fruit and vegetable crops. The food chain partnership (FCP) is a business model connecting partners along the value chain to improve sustainable production based on the fundamentals of good agricultural practices. This paper will provide an overview of FCP projects in Turkey and key learnings in the period 2005-2017. More than 20 independent FCP projects were implemented in cherry, citrus, gherkin, grape, lettuce, pepper, potato and tomato. The projects successfully delivered premium quality produce with both lower levels of residues and with a lower number of active ingredients. Overall food safety was improved and compliance achieved with international standards. Impacts of crop management practices on the environment and off-target organisms were reduced through the selection of IPM suitable crop protection products and minimizing the number of crop protection interventions. Economic improvements were obtained through the combined effect of increased yield, improved quality and reduced input costs. Each of the FCP projects included training programs for all participants to raise awareness of topics related to protection of the environment, IPM, food safety, residue management, certification and traceability. Bayer Crop specialists periodically monitored the status of the crops, the success of the pest management and offered technical support.