Our organic farmers registered in the Happy Village Project need seasonal workers intensively, especially during harvest periods, to collect their products. Işık Tarım provides orientation, occupational health and safety, hygiene and sanitation training to seasonal workers who come to collect products in fields and gardens for 1-2 months, in order to create workers who own the product, are conscious and educated. In addition to training, we have numerous projects certified under Fair for Life, Certified Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance to ensure that seasonal workers live and work under fair and good conditions.
This project was implemented in 2011 as a social project aimed at providing more comfortable, clean, healthy and regular accommodation and shelter conditions for seasonal workers of Happy Village producers engaged in organic apricot cultivation in Akmağara village and its surroundings in Hekimhan district of Malatya province. For this purpose, the old school building in Akmağara was maintained and renovated, and a facility was established where workers can stay, with toilet and bathroom facilities, accommodating a total of 20 people. This project not only improved the accommodation and shelter conditions of seasonal workers but also helped prevent producers' problems in finding workers, and took very important and effective steps in terms of food safety.
This project was implemented in 2013 as a social project aimed at providing more comfortable, clean, healthy and regular accommodation and shelter conditions for seasonal workers of Happy Village producers engaged in organic grape cultivation in Akköy and its surroundings in Turgutlu district of Manisa province. For this purpose, the old school building in Akköy was maintained and renovated to make it suitable for workers to stay, and an additional independent building was constructed next to the school building using prefabricated materials, establishing a facility with toilet and bathroom facilities that can accommodate a total of 25 people. This project not only improved the accommodation and shelter conditions of seasonal workers but also helped prevent producers' problems in finding workers, and took very important and effective steps in terms of food safety.
This project was implemented in Bekirler village of Nazilli district in Aydın, where organic fig cultivation is carried out and the population reaches up to 1000 people during summer months, to prevent the insufficiency of drinking water that becomes more evident especially during summer months. Within the scope of this project, a 90-ton capacity water tank was built in Bekirler Village between 2009-2010, and a source 7 km away was found to feed this water tank, and the water from this source was brought to the tank through pipes and the tank was connected to the village's drinking water system.
Happy Village launched the Hazelnut Silo Project in 2017 to reduce post-harvest yield and quality losses of its producers, prevent aflatoxin formation in the product, ensure that it is kept in a safer, healthier and controlled environment, prevent income loss for its producers and prevent product losses. Within the scope of the project, the construction of a silo to be used by producers was carried out on a plot of land owned by IŞIK Tarım next to the hazelnut factory in Ormanlı District of Ereğli, Zonguldak.
Turkey's Black Sea region offers the most suitable climate conditions for hazelnut cultivation. More than two-thirds of the world's hazelnut production is in the region. Unfortunately, Turkish hazelnuts are known not only for their quality but also for the difficult working conditions faced by harvesters and their families. Happy Hazelnut wants to change these working conditions. Happy Hazelnut was established in 2013 to contribute to socially and environmentally sustainable hazelnut production in Turkey. In line with this goal, we work by offering concrete and innovative solutions to local problems. The Happy Hazelnut Foundation was jointly established by Işık Tarım and its long-term partner Yourharvest AG (formerly Varistor AG). The foundation ensures the long-term financing of the Happy Hazelnut initiative and thus commits to a transparent, sustainable and child labor-free value chain for Turkish hazelnuts.
The project aims to address many goals such as increasing the welfare of villagers and seasonal workers, improving water management, social development, food safety, promoting sustainable living and developing a sense of solidarity. Seasonal workers experience water shortages in the region during their working period. Therefore, the project was deemed appropriate for the region. Regarding this project, an additional water source was found within the village boundaries. The water was brought to the village through a 2500 m long pipe. A water tank was built in the village. The main objectives of these projects are; to improve workers' accommodation and hygiene conditions, to increase insufficient water resources for villagers and workers, to provide water to the village primary school and village fountain, and to build a new fountain on the village street.
The aim of the initiative is to establish a community center in the village. This initiative aims to provide a platform for children to actively participate in sports and recreational activities, thus promoting a holistic development environment and making social contributions to both children's and individuals' personal development living in that region. Thanks to this project, a versatile social facility has been made available to the village. A playground and sports field have been built for children's use.
We support the educational activities of our producers' children and those around them. We ensure that children receive technology-based education by creating coding and software classes. We support girls with sports activities, encourage them to do sports, and help them develop their social skills. We focus on improving children's parks and increasing safety levels. We undertake the maintenance of school supplies.
