Rutgers Expert Training Women Farmers in Turkey

Robin G. Brumfield, farm management specialist at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey since 1988, is participating in a project to train women farmers in Turkey. The program, based on Annie’s Project, an educational program for women farmers in the United States, will train 52 women farmers who operate citrus and tomato greenhouse operations.

Dr. Brumfield is working with Dr. Burhan Ozkan, a professor of agricultural economics at Turkey’s Akdeniz University and Mick Minard, a professional photographer and communications strategy consultant. As part of the training, the participants in the Women Farmers Project will be instructed in business management, soil productivity, plant nutrition, marketing, and the use of information technology.

“Women currently account for approximately 45 percent of Turkey’s agricultural workforce,” reports Brumfield. “We’re implementing the Women Farmers Project in recognition of women farmers as critical agents for enhancing agricultural and rural development and food security in Turkey.”

Dr. Brumfield is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in horticulture from North Carolina State University.

For more information on the project, click here.

Sebahat Kilinc, who is a turkish farmer, Dr. Brumfield, and Dr. Ozkan. Credit: Mick Minard, Rutgers Univ.