The Project is financed by European Union and Republic of Turkey

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About Us

TEMASTA (TEMA Sustainable Agricultural Network) was designed as an internet platform to gather stakeholders of sustainable agriculture and engage them in sharing information and contacts to hence provide opportunities for trade and co-operation. It was developed under the “Connecting Sustainable Agriculture Networks in Turkey and in the EU” project led by TEMA and with the co-operation of Both Ends, with the aim of connecting the different Sustainable Agricultural Networks, encouraging co-operation and disseminating good agricultural practices, organic agriculture and other eco-friendly agricultural activities.

TEMA Foundation

TEMA Foundation (The Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, for Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats) was founded by Hayrettin Karaca and A. Nihat Gökyiğit in 1992. Their objectives were plain and robust: to establish to raise awareness on soil erosion and deforestation and to make this a state policy. TEMA Foundation is currently Turkey’s largest and leading environmental NGO, supported by ca. 600,000 volunteers nationwide.

 TEMA petitioned 225 lawsuits against wrong administrative activities and decisions that affect the national environment in a negative way; of which 115 resulted in our favour (54 cases are still in process). TEMA has planted 14 million saplings and 700 million oak seeds and has carried out more than 60 demonstration projects on sustainable rural development and biodiversity conservation and approximately 350 reforestation projects across Turkey.

 TEMA’s education programmes aim to increase the time that school children of all ages spend in nature and therefore develop a meaningful bond with it. With this, TEMA has developed Mini, Junior, Middle School, and High School TEMA Programmes.

 The Green Collar program is an ecological literacy training program designed specifically for both private sector employees and local administrations. Furthermore, TEMA Foundation performs training for trainers and adult education for awareness-raising efforts. Target groups vary considerably, from teachers, public officials, army officers, clergymen to volunteers. We cooperate with ministries and several general directorates for these purposes. TEMA Foundation has also published over 90 books. The foundation was the first in the world to be awarded the Land for Life Award from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) for its continuous work on sustainable land management.

TEMA Foundation’s Objectives

  • Increase awareness of environmental problems; engage in capacity building for improved solutions.
  • Promote the protection of natural habitats and ecosystem conservation of water resources and vegetative cover of the soil, sustainable use of agricultural lands and rangelands.
  • Support the establishment of national policies friendly to the protection of biodiversity, sustainable use of lands and rational management of water resources.
  • Develop models for action to combat soil erosion in impoverished rural areas of Turkey and inspire the implementation of similar models in other parts of the country.
  • Establish the necessary organization and legislation with the support of volunteers in order to achieve the goal of stopping soil erosion.

Both ENDS

Both ENDS is an independent non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works towards a sustainable future for our planet, by identifying and strengthening civil society organisations (CSOs), that come up with sustainable solutions for environmental and poverty-related issues. Building on such effective alternatives, Both ENDS create and support strategic networks capable of promoting social-environmental interests.

Civil Society Dialogue

The EU-Turkey project of Sustainable Agriculture Network is developed under the framework of the Civil Society Dialogue which is co-financed by the Republic of Turkey and the EU. The Civil Society Dialogue is a programme bringing together civil society organizations from Turkey and the EU around common topics, to exchange knowledge and experience, and to build a sustained conversation between the organizations.