Istanbul’s landscape embellished by villagers
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Anatolia News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 02, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - For the last few years Istanbul has been the site of intensive landscape work. Yet, it still has an eye for pleasing green areas embellishing the cityscape. The Istanbul Tree and Landscape Company not only plans parks and gardens but also supports villagers to grow plants for Istanbul
For the last few years Istanbul, Turkey’s most populated city, has been the site of intensive landscape work. Although everyday new buildings rise toward the sky and construction areas expand, Istanbul still has an eye for pleasing green areas where it is possible to see each season’s flowers embellishing Istanbul’s cityscape.
Some visitors to these green areas may wonder where all these plants are grown.
The Istanbul Tree and Landscape Company, established in 1997, is not only foresting basins, planning landscapes, parks and gardens but also growing plants, producing agricultural products and preparing projects. The company also supports villagers from outside the city growing plants for Istanbul’s landscape.
Chairman of the Istanbul Tree and Landscape Company, Eyyüp Karahan, said they were contributing to villagers’ incomes and stopping migration to Istanbul by supporting them to grow flowers that are purchase-guaranteed, which in turn improve Istanbul's landscape.
Income for 320,000 villagers
"In the upcoming five years we are planning to provide an income for 320,000 villagers through this sector," he said. The company has villagers from Şile, Silivri and Çatalca producing flowers and tulip bulbs that are purchase guaranteed under a social responsibility project. Villages outside Istanbul are pilot areas for the project.
This is just one of the social responsibility projects we have, said Karahan. "By providing job opportunities for villagers on their own land and supporting their production we also stop migration to Istanbul. This project helps the national economy and villagers’ development.
Within the project, villagers learn how to grow and nurse plants, how to use tools for planting and techniques for constructing greenhouses.
Villagers grow seasonal plants inside 250-square-meter greenhouses. Conditional on quality, the company then purchases plants from the villagers. Purchasing takes place twice a year, once in summer and once in winter.
"The net income of the villagers across two terms is around 14,000 [Turkish] liras," Karahan said, adding that their biggest plan, in which residents of villages that surround Istanbul would grow flowers to decorate the city, had worked out.
This year they will grow 3.5 million tulip bulbs. Next year the number is expected to be 5 million and in two years they aim to reach 8 million.
According to Karahan, in five years villagers will not need the company’s help because they will have the capacity to export produce. "Turkey should be exporting tulip bulbs; we predict this will ensure income for the future. Countries that have a suitable climate for tulips, such as Iraq, Iran, Bulgaria, Syria, Azerbaijani, Georgia and Greece, will purchase bulbs from Istanbul villagers. We paid around 5 million liras to villagers over the last three years," Karahan said.
Tulips return to their motherland
According to Karahan, tulips lost their glory throughout history but are now returning to their motherland and regaining their pride. "With Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş’s vision and the intensive work of the Istanbul Tree and Landscape Company, Istanbul is again able to display its homegrown tulips," he said.
With the campaign Istanbul Reunites With its Tulips, in 2005 and 2006 the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the Istanbul Tree and Landscape Company started work on growing tulips in Istanbul. Tulips improved the look of the city and although they do not bloom throughout the whole season, millions of tulips ranging in color, height and shape spring from the soil all around the city.
"A small part of exported tulip bulbs are grown in the city of Konya. Growing tulip bulbs are now a means of existence for many agriculture laborers," Karahan said.
Throughout the year, 15 million tulip and other flower bulbs were planted and nearly all were purchased from local producers.
This year Istanbul will have a landscape full of tulips starting from the first weeks of March until the end of May. Karahan said the lifespan of a tulip was more than a month. They start with a 20-day blossoming period and their fading period also takes 20 days.
Within the social responsibility project, the company also holds gardening and environmental awareness courses that aim to trigger the development of and contribute to a sufficient labor force.
Those who attend these courses receive certificates from the Ministry of Education, the Public Education Center and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality at the end of each program.
The courses are held three times a year and 250 hours in length. To date, 555 people have completed the courses and they are free to attend.
"The biggest problem in the landscaping industry is job vacancies, mostly for what we call intermediate staff. There are no gardeners to fill this gap and there is still no educational board to regulate the training of gardeners," Karahan said.
Some visitors to these green areas may wonder where all these plants are grown.
The Istanbul Tree and Landscape Company, established in 1997, is not only foresting basins, planning landscapes, parks and gardens but also growing plants, producing agricultural products and preparing projects. The company also supports villagers from outside the city growing plants for Istanbul’s landscape.
Chairman of the Istanbul Tree and Landscape Company, Eyyüp Karahan, said they were contributing to villagers’ incomes and stopping migration to Istanbul by supporting them to grow flowers that are purchase-guaranteed, which in turn improve Istanbul's landscape.
Income for 320,000 villagers
"In the upcoming five years we are planning to provide an income for 320,000 villagers through this sector," he said. The company has villagers from Şile, Silivri and Çatalca producing flowers and tulip bulbs that are purchase guaranteed under a social responsibility project. Villages outside Istanbul are pilot areas for the project.
This is just one of the social responsibility projects we have, said Karahan. "By providing job opportunities for villagers on their own land and supporting their production we also stop migration to Istanbul. This project helps the national economy and villagers’ development.
Within the project, villagers learn how to grow and nurse plants, how to use tools for planting and techniques for constructing greenhouses.
Villagers grow seasonal plants inside 250-square-meter greenhouses. Conditional on quality, the company then purchases plants from the villagers. Purchasing takes place twice a year, once in summer and once in winter.
"The net income of the villagers across two terms is around 14,000 [Turkish] liras," Karahan said, adding that their biggest plan, in which residents of villages that surround Istanbul would grow flowers to decorate the city, had worked out.
This year they will grow 3.5 million tulip bulbs. Next year the number is expected to be 5 million and in two years they aim to reach 8 million.
According to Karahan, in five years villagers will not need the company’s help because they will have the capacity to export produce. "Turkey should be exporting tulip bulbs; we predict this will ensure income for the future. Countries that have a suitable climate for tulips, such as Iraq, Iran, Bulgaria, Syria, Azerbaijani, Georgia and Greece, will purchase bulbs from Istanbul villagers. We paid around 5 million liras to villagers over the last three years," Karahan said.
Tulips return to their motherland
According to Karahan, tulips lost their glory throughout history but are now returning to their motherland and regaining their pride. "With Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş’s vision and the intensive work of the Istanbul Tree and Landscape Company, Istanbul is again able to display its homegrown tulips," he said.
With the campaign Istanbul Reunites With its Tulips, in 2005 and 2006 the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the Istanbul Tree and Landscape Company started work on growing tulips in Istanbul. Tulips improved the look of the city and although they do not bloom throughout the whole season, millions of tulips ranging in color, height and shape spring from the soil all around the city.
"A small part of exported tulip bulbs are grown in the city of Konya. Growing tulip bulbs are now a means of existence for many agriculture laborers," Karahan said.
Throughout the year, 15 million tulip and other flower bulbs were planted and nearly all were purchased from local producers.
This year Istanbul will have a landscape full of tulips starting from the first weeks of March until the end of May. Karahan said the lifespan of a tulip was more than a month. They start with a 20-day blossoming period and their fading period also takes 20 days.
Within the social responsibility project, the company also holds gardening and environmental awareness courses that aim to trigger the development of and contribute to a sufficient labor force.
Those who attend these courses receive certificates from the Ministry of Education, the Public Education Center and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality at the end of each program.
The courses are held three times a year and 250 hours in length. To date, 555 people have completed the courses and they are free to attend.
"The biggest problem in the landscaping industry is job vacancies, mostly for what we call intermediate staff. There are no gardeners to fill this gap and there is still no educational board to regulate the training of gardeners," Karahan said.