Encouraging young farmers to produce compost for healthy soil and organic food using innovative solutions

Agricultural practices such as excessive use of fertilizers and chemicals have been causing soil degradation, salinity, health effects, reduction in soil biodiversity, atmospheric and water pollut...

The ultimate goal of the project is to contribute to the improvement of soil health as well as organic production through teaching composting process. The project aims to establish long-term cooperation and partnership relations among Turkey, Lithuania and Spain in composting sector, to develop the best practices on compost production conformant to EU quality and standards and setting up healthy information exchange, to design training programmes on sustainable compost production methods and putting these methods into practice, to train farmers and organise pilot exercises, and to implement some innovative composting methods.

Composter whatsup group was created on 21/04/2022. First online meeting was held on 22/04/2022. After that the first draft of Compost manual topic was sent to partners on 29/04/2022. Composterasmus web site was created on 06/05/2022 and project logo was completed on 09/05/2022. Kickoff Meeting The opening meeting of the project titled 'Encouraging Young Farmers to Produce Compost for Healthy Soil and Organic Food using Innovative Solutions - COMPOSTER', supported within the scope of the 2021 Erasmus+ Collaboration Partnerships in Vocational Education activity, was held on 26 July 2022 at Isparta University of Applied Sciences (ISUBÜ) Faculty of Agriculture. Before the meeting, ISUBÜ Rector Prof. Dr. İbrahim Diler hosted the project team, received information about the project, wished success to the team and presented a gift. ISUBÜ vice rectors Prof. attended the meeting. Dr. Hüseyin Fakir and Prof. Dr. Hilmi Cenk Bayrakçı, experts from the Turkish National Agency Musab Alperen Şafak and Onat Aydın, project researcher and Ezine Vocational School Director Assoc. Dr. R. Cüneyt Erenoğlu also participated. The opening presentations of the project led by Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University were made by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Evren Erginal, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Prof. Dr. Mevlüt Gül and Vice Rector Prof. Dr. It was made by Hüseyin Fakir and then the meeting continued with project presentations. Project coordinator Prof. Dr. Hasan Özcan gave detailed information about the priorities, target audience, activities and intellectual outputs of the COMPOSTER project and gave information about the importance of composting in terms of protecting soil health and organic agriculture today. Then, the Lithuanian partner of the project, Domantas Tracevicius, director of VšĮ 'Žiedinė economica', Prof. on behalf of Universidad Politecnica De Cartagena (Spain). Dr. Ángel Faz Cano, Çanakkale Technology Development Zone Inc. (Technopark) on behalf of Lecturer. See. Kadir Yılmaz, Ezine Food Specialized Organized Industrial Zone General Manager Alper Altınok and Prof. from ISUBÜ. Dr. Kamil Ekinci made his presentations. 1st Transnational Meeting The transnational knowledge sharing meeting of the project titled 'Encouraging Young Farmers To Produce Compost For Healthy Soil And Organic Food Using Innovative Solutions - COMPOSTER', which is supported within the scope of the 2021 Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships in Vocational Education activity and continues under the coordination of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, will be held between 14-18 November 2022. It was held at the Technical University of Cartagena (Universidad Politecnica De Cartagena - UPCT, Spain). Project coordinator Prof. from ÇOMÜ team attended the meeting. Dr. Hasan Özcan and researchers Prof. Dr. Ahmet Evren Erginal and Prof. Dr. In addition to Yasemin Kavdır, Ezine Gıda Specialized Organized Industrial Zone Manager Alper Altınok, Prof. Dr. Ramazan Cüneyt Erenoğlu, Çanakkale Technology Development Zone Inc. General Manager Assoc. Dr. Erkan Bil, Lecturer. See. Burcu Kayacı, Lecturer. See. Kadir Yılmaz and Dr. Savaş Gürdal, Prof. from Isparta University of Applied Sciences. Dr. The entire project team participated, including Kamil Ekinci, Agricultural Engineer Emine Ekinci and Domantas Tracevičius from VšĮ 'Žiedinė Ekonomika' (Lithuania). In the first session of the meeting on November 15, 2022, Vice Rector, Prof. Dr. Catalina Egea Gilabert, Dean of the Faculty of Civil and Mining Engineering, Prof. Dr. On behalf of Juan T. García Bermejo and UPCT, coordinator Prof. Dr. Ángel Faz Cano made the opening remarks. After the opening speeches, Prof. Dr. Yasemin Kavdır “Compost use in agriculture”, Lecturer. See. Kadir Yılmaz “Compost marketing tactics and strategies”, Prof. Dr. Ángel Faz Cano “Problematic of pig slurry management: valorization of slurry through advanced technologies”, Prof. Dr. Cüneyt Erenoğlu “Social contribution of the project: Stages of creating Widespread impact between the COMPOSTER and the producer”, Domantas Tracevicius “Plan for equipment and process for regional park composting site” and Prof. Dr. Kamil Ekinci made a presentation titled “Composting of opium poppy processing solid waste with poultry manure: effects of airflow rate on compostins losses”. After the presentations, the project team held a focus group meeting. In the following days of the event, compost production farms in the Murcia region were visited. Detailed information was provided to the project team by academics, technical personnel and company officials working in the field on animal manure composting facilities and animal liquid manure treatment facilities operated by private companies. Following the work at the compost production facilities, they went to the San Pedro del Pinatar settlement in the Murcia Region in southeastern Spain. The windmills located in Salinas and Arenales de San Pedro del Pinatar Regional Park, built in the early 20th century to transfer the waters of the Mar Menor to the salt ponds, were visited. The project team then had the opportunity to make observations at the foot of Molino de Quintín, in the area of the famous mud baths of the Mar Menor, considered the largest open-air sea water therapy area in Europe. 2nd Transnational Meeting The second transnational knowledge sharing meeting of the project titled 'Encouraging Young Farmers To Produce Compost For Healthy Soil And Organic Food Using Innovative Solutions - COMPOSTER', which is supported within the scope of the 2021 Erasmus+ Collaboration Partnerships in Vocational Education activity and continues under the coordination of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, will be held on 17-21 July 2023. of VšĮ 'Žiedinė economica' was held at the Ministry of Agriculture in Vilnius, Lithuania. Project coordinator Prof. from ÇOMÜ team attended the meeting. Dr. Hasan Özcan and researchers Prof. Dr. Ahmet Evren Erginal and Prof. Dr. In addition to Yasemin Kavdır, Ezine Gıda Specialized Organized Industrial Zone Manager Alper Altınok, Prof. Dr. Ramazan Cüneyt Erenoğlu, Çanakkale Technology Development Zone Inc. Lecturer from the General Directorate. See. Burcu Kayacı, Lecturer. See. Kadir Yılmaz and Dr. Savaş Gürdal, Prof. from Isparta University of Applied Sciences. Dr. Kamil Ekinci and Agricultural Engineer Emine Ekinci and Prof. from Cartagena Technical University, Spain. Dr. The entire project team, including Angel Faz Cano, participated. In the first session of the meeting on July 17, 2023, Lithuania coordinator Domantas Tracevicius and project coordinator Prof. Dr. Hasan Özcan made the opening speeches. Following the opening speeches, Prof. Dr. Ángel Faz Cano, Prof. Dr. Yasemin Kavdır, Lecturer. See. Kadir Yılmaz, Prof. Dr. Cüneyt Erenoğlu and Prof. Dr. Kamil Ekinci made various presentations about the project topic. Project coordinator Prof. Dr. Hasan Özcan and Prof. Dr. Ahmet Evren Erginal made a presentation about the developments, outputs and what to do next in the project, and the developments regarding the project were discussed by the entire project team. After the presentations, the project team held a focus group meeting. In the following days of the event, compost production farms in and around Vilnius in Lithuania were visited. Detailed information was given to the project team of animal manure and other organic waste composting facilities operated by private companies and individuals by technical personnel and farm owners working in the field. Multiple Event In Isparta Uygulamalı Bilimler University It will be held in Isparta between 24-25 May 2023 within the scope of the multipler event of the project titled 'Encouraging Young Farmers To Produce Compost For Healthy Soil And Organic Food Using Innovative Solutions - COMPOSTER', which is supported within the scope of the 2021 Erasmus+ Collaboration Partnerships in Vocational Education activity and continues under the coordination of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University. University of Applied Sciences coordinator Prof. Dr. Kamil Ekinci and the project team provided theoretical and practical training to 46 participants consisting of farmers, students and non-governmental organizations in Isparta Province. A survey was conducted for all participants before and after the training. Additionally, certificates were presented to all participants at the end of the training. The trainings were held at Isparta University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture. All details about the meeting are on the project website. Multiple Event In Çanakkale Teknoloji Geliştirme Bölgesi (Ezine-Çanakkale) Theoretical and practical trainings organized by Çanakkale Technology Development Directorate within the scope of the multiple event of the project titled 'Encouraging Young Farmers To Produce Compost For Healthy Soil And Organic Food Using Innovative Solutions - COMPOSTER' and with the participation of young farmers of Ezine district and non-governmental organizations, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Ezine It was held in the Vocational School conference hall between 30-31 May 2023. Prof. at the meeting. Dr. Hasan Özcan, Prof. Dr. Yasemin Kavdır and Dr. Savaş Gürdal made various training presentations. On the following day, Prof. Dr. An application was made by Yasemin Kavdır on how to make heap and cage type compost. A survey was conducted to the participants before and after the training. At the end of the training, all participants were given certificates. In addition to the training held at Ezine Vocational School, online training was given to Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Faculty of Agriculture and Engineering Faculty students on ÇOMÜ Team between 29 May and 11 June. A total of 262 students who participated in the training were given certificates. All details about the meeting are on the project website. Multiple Event In Universitad Politecnica Cartagena-Spain Within the scope of multiple events, theoretical and practical training was given at the University of Politecnica Cartagena, Spain, on 24-25 October 2023. The training organized by the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT) for the COMPOSTER project was meticulously designed to encompass a variety of activities, providing participants with a holistic understanding of compost production. All details about the meeting are on the project website. Multiple Event In Vilnuis -Lithuania Within the scope of the training within the multipler event within the scope of the Composter project, theoretical and practical training was held in Lithuania between 31 October and 2 November 2023. All details about the meeting are on the project website. Virtual Workshop, Ezine Gıda Organize Sanayi Bölgesi The virtual workshop meeting of the project titled 'Encouraging Young Farmers To Produce Compost For Healthy Soil And Organic Food Using Innovative Solutions – COMPOSTER', which is supported within the scope of the 2021 Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships in Vocational Education activity, was hosted by Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University on 02 November 2023 and 09 November 2023. To the meeting; ÇOMÜ Rector Prof. Dr. R. Cüneyt Erenoğlu, Çanakkale Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Selçuk Semizoğlu, Biga Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Şadan Doğan, Çanakkale Commodity Exchange President Abdullah Deniz and Ezine Gıda Specialized Organized Industrial Zone Manager Alper Altınok, as well as ÇOMÜ academicians, undergraduate, associate degree and a large audience consisting of graduate students and representatives of non-governmental organizations attended. The meeting, which had a total of 250-300 participants in both meetings, was moderated by ÇOMÜ Graduate Education Institute Director Prof. Dr. It was performed by Ahmet Evren Erginal. All participants who attended the meeting were given certificates. All details about the meeting are on the project website. Closing Meeting The closing meeting of the project titled 'Encouraging Young Farmers To Produce Compost For Healthy Soil And Organic Food Using Innovative Solutions - COMPOSTER', which is supported within the scope of the 2021 Erasmus+ Collaboration Partnerships in Vocational Education activity and continues under the coordination of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, was held on February 22, 2024, at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University. It was held in Çanakkale under the ownership of At the closing meeting, there was a participation of 239 people from Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University students, faculty members, Çanakkale province Public Institutions, Chambers of Agriculture, Farmers and non-governmental organizations. The closing meeting was held in the ÇOMÜ Faculty of Agriculture conference hall (lecture hall). In the first part of the program, opening speeches, project documentary and video presentations of foreign project partners are made, and in the second part, Prof. Dr. Hasan Özcan, Prof. Dr. Yasemin Kavdır, Prof. Dr. Kamil Ekinci and Dr. Kadir Yılmaz made a presentation. The meeting ended with questions and answers, wishes and wishes.

1-Access to the Institutional Capacity building target: Through the project activities, participating organizations and target groups shared traditional and innovative approaches and technologies in terms of compost production. Acquisition of new application and production techniques means developing new visions and perspectives for participating organizations. Institutional staff has learned new production and marketing methods and transfer information during transnational meetings. 2-Sharing information between countries: One of the main objectives of the project was that target groups could transfer information in all participating countries, in line with the priority areas of the Erasmus + project call. The COMPOSTER team acted as a catalyst in this regard, leading the transfer of technical knowledge. 3-Innovation: The COMPOSTER project aimed to solve chronic problems experienced by farmers, from compost production to marketing. With the manuals (Composting Methods Manual and Marketing Tactics in Organic Compost Production), compost producing farmers will be able to participate in the market or increase their competitiveness in the market. 4- Network Construction: Scientists specializing in compost production (agricultural engineers, soil scientists, etc.), representatives of public institutions, industry consultants, producers and new enterprises had the opportunity to establish a pool of experts during the virtual workshop, knowledge sharing meetings and closing meeting. Partners were working towards innovation goals in rural development and agriculture in different parts of Europe. This project brought together participating organizations to create a common platform. 5-Economic Development: The COMPOSTER project hopefully encouraged the commercial growth of small-scale producers by facilitating the development of advanced production processes, ensuring production innovation, and improving the marketing skills of manufacturers. This would especially strengthen the economy of the rural population.