Supporting Decent Work in Şanlıurfa’s Cotton Communities
Better Cotton in Turkey
Note: This story was recorded before the tragic events of February 2023, when a series of major earthquakes struck across Turkey.
Better Cotton extends its deepest expression of sympathy, solidarity, and support to the cotton growing and processing communities in Turkey, the staff of our partners in the region, and all victims of the disaster.
Together with our Strategic Partner in Turkey, IPUD (İyi Pamuk Uygulamaları Derneği – the Good Cotton Practices Association), we are committed to continuing efforts to support sustainability in the cotton sector while communities recover and rebuild. To find out more, please click here.
In the Turkish province of Şanlıurfa, Southeast Anatolia, temperatures in summer can reach 40°C as farm workers tend to parched cotton crops, providing much-needed irrigation.
As the seventh-largest cotton producer globally, cotton is an important crop for Turkey.
This situation must change so that workers experience conditions of dignity and receive fair pay, and children gain access to education. That’s why we’re working with our partners to promote decent work and prevent child labour.
Better Cotton Farm Worker, Feride Gümüştop working in a field. © Better Cotton/Baran Vardar.
Better Cotton Farm Worker, Feride Gümüştop working in a field. © Better Cotton/Baran Vardar.
In Şanlıurfa, Better Cotton and our Strategic Partner, İyi Pamuk Uygulamaları Derneği (IPUD), collaborate to improve agricultural practices and working conditions for cotton farming communities.
In particular, IPUD promotes sustainable cotton production in line with Better Cotton’s standard (the Principles and Criteria). The organisation engages with a multitude of stakeholders, from farmers and ginners, to manufacturers and civil society organisations, to help establish Better Cotton as a mainstream commodity.
In the promotion of decent work, IPUD and partners collaborate on child labour prevention efforts, and promoting safe and healthy working conditions on the farms. This is done through dedicated training and monitoring including record-keeping via a database on labour and farming practices.
“I’m pleased with our success so far. We’ve seen real changes in the mindsets and practices of farmers, workers and agricultural support staff in the cotton fields.”
Health and Safety Mentorship Programme
Ibrahim Karakuş’s Story
Promoting health and safety remains central to our activities in Turkey. IPUD's health and safety mentorship programme helps farmers to build understanding of appropriate health and safety measures on their farms, gain access to personal protective equipment, training and benefit from a risk assessment.
Each participating farm also benefits from a health and safety road map, with field facilitators learning how to put it into practice.
Farmer Ibrahim Karakuş has been involved in cotton farming since childhood, and began producing Better Cotton in 2019. The 40-year-old runs his farm together with three brothers, employing over 20 seasonal workers.
He is committed to continuously improving his practices to produce cotton in a way that is better for himself, his community and the environment. Ibrahim has taken part in several training sessions and has seen a positive result on his farm.
IPUD and Better Cotton Staff visiting the Health & Safety training programme in Harran. © Better Cotton/Baran Vardar.
IPUD and Better Cotton Staff visiting the Health & Safety training programme in Harran. © Better Cotton/Baran Vardar.
Better Cotton Farmers Abdullah Karakuş, 20 (left), İbrahim Karakuş, 40 (right) and Health & Safety Expert Ali Fuat Belden. © Better Cotton/Baran Vardar.
Better Cotton Farmers Abdullah Karakuş, 20 (left), İbrahim Karakuş, 40 (right) and Health & Safety Expert Ali Fuat Belden. © Better Cotton/Baran Vardar.
Better Cotton Farmer İbrahim Karakuş taking part in the Health & Safety Training
Better Cotton Farmers Abdullah Karakuş (left) and İbrahim Karakuş (right) wearing personal protective equipment.
“We started to improve the way
we support our workers, and develop better practices. This has enabled us to be more productive.”
Ibrahim Karakuş,
Better Cotton Farmer
Dedicated Training and Monitoring
Gulistan Izol's Story
IPUD Training & Capacity Building Specialist, Özge Zengin Pehlivanoğlu (left) Project Coordinator Nurcan Talay (centre) and Agricultural Engineer Gülistan İzol (right). © Better Cotton/Baran Vardar.
IPUD Training & Capacity Building Specialist, Özge Zengin Pehlivanoğlu (left) Project Coordinator Nurcan Talay (centre) and Agricultural Engineer Gülistan İzol (right). © Better Cotton/Baran Vardar.
Decent work learning material.© Better Cotton/Eugénie Bacher.
Decent work learning material.© Better Cotton/Eugénie Bacher.
Training forms an integral part of IPUD’s work, supported by detailed record-keeping. The project partners developed training materials including presentations, a learning book and printed documents that can be used in the field. In this way, field facilitators have access to materials on topics including gender equality, child labour, occupational health and safety and working and living conditions. Many of these documents are also available online.
Training was provided to multiple stakeholders, such as agricultural consultants, the Chamber of Agriculture, field facilitators and NGOs. These people then help farmers and farm workers to develop an understanding of decent work and their rights in the field.
In addition, the partners developed a database for agricultural consultants at the Chambers of Agriculture to record the living, working and employment conditions of workers as well as any instances of child labour in cotton fields. This has enabled the authorities to gain a clearer picture of life and work in cotton farming communities. IPUD also provided training on how to collect and record data, and distributed learning books and materials.
Agricultural engineer Gulistan Izol, 38, took part in the training provided by IPUD. This included modules on child labour, living and employment conditions, health and safety, discrimination, forced labour, equal opportunities and fair treatment and the freedom to seek improvements. Gulistan is now able to provide decent work training to fellow cotton farmers and workers to help raise standards and quality of life.
So far, agricultural consultants have visited
60 cotton farms
to help compile decent work information for the database, and provided training to some
Over 100 farmers and workers.
“We received training (...) on Occupational Health and Safety, Child Labour and how to harvest your crop while ensuring decent working conditions."
Gülistan Izol,
Agricultural Consultant
Learn More
Story: Towards the Elimination of Child Labour in Şanlıurfa
Better Cotton aims to help farmers to develop better employment practices and working conditions, and supporting families who may involve their children in cotton farming – due to a lack of funds and resources – to find ways to keep their children in school and away from the fields.
We visited a school in Şanlıurfa with our partner in Turkey, IPUD, to hear about how they are working to promote children's education.
Resource: Better Cotton and Decent Work
At Better Cotton, we believe that all farmers and workers have the right to decent work — productive work that offers fair income and wages, security, social protection, equal opportunities, freedom to organise, express concerns, participate in decision-making and negotiate dignified conditions of employment.
To help promote farmer wellbeing, we seek to provide decent work opportunities for rural communities and a safe, healthy working environment.
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