For five years the program has connected farmers with the tools and resources they need to increase yield and overall welfare.

Cargill’s 1000 Farmers Endless Prosperity program enters its sixth year in Türkiye, improving farmers’ livelihoods by increasing their yields and applying regenerative agriculture practices.

Participating farmers are provided with training, access to digital agricultural tools and consultancy services tailored to their fields. As a result, they have seen yields increase by up to 24% in 2023 - all while unlocking the climate change mitigating potential of their operations. 

When the program first launched in 2019 it covered just six provinces, covering an area of 26.478 hectares of land cultivated by only 1,072 corn farmers. Today, it covers more than 6,700 corn, sunflower, and canola farming operations across 27 provinces, resulting in more than 91,000 hectares. 

The program is now being implemented in the following provinces, including those added in 2023: Adana, Afyon, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Aydın, Balıkesir, Bilecik, Bursa, Çanakkale, Edirne, Eskişehir, Hatay, Istanbul, İzmir, Karaman, Kırıkkale, Kırklareli, Kocaeli, Konya, Manisa, Mersin, Osmaniye, Samsun, Sinop, Tekirdağ, and Tokat.

The program has won 48 national and international awards over the last five years, including a Gold Edison Awards, which recognizes some of the most innovative products and business leaders in the world. It is the first program in Türkiye’s agriculture and food industry to have a social return on investment (SROI) calculation, a method of calculating the financial equivalent of the social impact created with each 1 Turkish Lira investment. The SROI has increased every year since its launch and as of 2023 shows a value of 3,72 TL on the farmers who are key stakeholders of the program.

“The 1000 Farmers Endless Prosperity Program is a great example of how connecting and collaborating with farmers can ensure that the food system continues to meet the needs of a growing population in a responsible and sustainable way,” explains Murat Tarakçıoğlu, Cargill’s Food Solutions META MD. “Cargill is honoured to continue to ensure that farmers in Türkiye have the tools and resources they need to reimagine what is possible for their operations, livelihoods, and communities.”

Looking ahead, the 1000 Farmers Endless Prosperity program will focus its efforts on including more women farmers into the program. In line with this target, efforts will be made to include at least 100 women farmers in the program in the first year and to triple this number each year. With this newly added module, olive farmers will join the program this year, in addition to those cultivating corn, sunflower, and canola, and in the coming years, women farmers growing different crops will also be included. Comprehensive trainings in occupational health and safety in the field and regenerative agriculture will continue to be provided.

About 1000 Farmers Endless Prosperity:

1000 Farmers Endless Prosperity is a corporate responsibility program launched by Cargill in 2019 with the aim of increasing the productivity and prosperity of farmers in Türkiye, promoting sustainable agricultural practices, and supporting social and digital transformation in agriculture. In addition to being the program that provides the most extensive and longest-term support to farmers in Türkiye, it is also the first corporate responsibility program in the agriculture and food sector to conduct a social impact (SROI) study. 

Starting in 2023, 1000 Farmers Endless Prosperity encourages farmers to focus more on regenerative farming practices. Participating farmers can follow special irrigation, fertilization, and spraying practices that help reduce disease risks and prevent soil pollution on their fields. The program also helps reduce the environmental impact of farmers' products while strengthening farmers’ fields through better soil health. 

As of 2024, the program has reached over 6,000 farmers producing corn, sunflower, and canola in 27 provinces, offering field-specific consultancy services, training, and digital tools. The program published its second Progress Report in 2023 and has received 48 national and international awards. For more information, visit 1000ciftci1000bereket.com and https://www.instagram.com/1000ciftci_1000bereket.

1000 Farmers Endless Prosperity Program by the Numbers:
 

• • The program involves more than 6,700 farmers across 27 provinces covering an area of over 91,000 hectares.
  
• • Key crops include sunflower, canola, and corn.
  
• • Thanks to the program, farmers saw up to 20% productivity increase on average each year. Productivity increase was of up to 23% in 2021, 20% in 2022, and 24% in 2023.
  
• • A 50.6% savings was achieved in fertilizer use in 2023.
  
• • A total of 36% carbon emission reduction was achieved.
  
• • The impacts of the services and training provided under the program are translated into financial value using the SROI method. The SROI was 2.53 TL for every 1 TL in 2019, 2.78 TL in 2020, 3.03 TL in 2021, 3.23 TL in 2022, and 3,72 TL in 2023.
  
• • Within the framework of the program, two progress reports covering the 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 production seasons were published.
  
• • The program collected 460,000 hours of data.
  
• • 12,850 hectares of land were monitored via satellites.
  
• • Over 180,000 satellite images were made available to farmers.
  
• • Farmers engaged in 50,600 minutes of consultations through the Technical Support During the period from 2019 to 2024, a combined total of 190 Filiz sensor stations and 44 PestTrap devices will be installed. 
  
• • In the 2023 season, farmers showed an observed change of 69% in financial literacy, 73% in agricultural technical knowledge, 81% in data-driven practices, 74% in solidarity, and 62% in environmental activities.
  
• • The program has won 48 national and international awards since 2019.