RESOURCES Türkiye

Harvesting the Future: Identifying risks and opportunities for labor conditions in Turkish agricultural supply chains

Harvesting the Future is a unique project designed to create large-scale change on child protection and responsible recruitment through a multi-commodity, multi-company, and multi-geography approach.

When it was launched in 2019, it aimed to create greater visibility on labor conditions in Turkish supply chains. Initial activities focused on aligning industry understanding of interventions needed for improved working and living conditions for seasonal workers and improving recruitment and employment practices.

In 2021, following the conclusion of the initial phase of the project, the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and project partner the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI Platform) published a case study walking through the project’s activities and impact, as well as identified risks and opportunities in Turkish agricultural supply chains.

[Before Harvesting the Future] very little changed in nearly two decades…There were problems everywhere I looked, yet there were no easy solutions and no hope for change.

Agricultural labor intermediary, age 53, as told to an FLA representative (Translated from Turkish)

To start, Harvesting the Future focused on 6 major commodities: apricot, cumin, hazelnut, sultana raisins, potato, and pistachio.

Project activities included:

  • Supply chain mapping
  • Risk analysis
  • Capacity building
  • Stakeholder engagement
  • Covid-19 related activities

Training and other corrective measures provided touched every level of these supply chains, which are an essential part of Türkiye’s economy. For instance, Türkiye is the world’s leading producer of hazelnuts, providing 70% of global supply; two to three million growers (5% of Türkiye’s population) depend on that commodity for their income, while thousands of laborers are employed for harvesting and processing.

  • 746

    producers accessed

  • 363

    labor intermediaries accessed

  • 9,440

    workers accessed

As the case study details, Harvesting the Future made strides in addressing and improving the labor conditions of seasonal migrant workers in Turkey. One of the most significant outcomes of the initial stage of the project project was that industry stakeholders were aligned in their understanding of current working conditions, major risk areas, and the actions and collaboration required to improve them.

Based on the learnings from this project, FLA launched Harvesting the Future Phase II: Access to Remedy and has continued building the capacity of suppliers’ programs with a modular approach.