Women changing agricultural policy with communes

12:17

Duygu Erol- Şehriban Aslan/JINHA

AMED - As women form agricultural communes in Diyarbakır, Van and Batman, they are diversifying the soils of Kurdistan and stopping the sterilization of the land. Dilek Acer, of the Congress of Free Women (KJA) Agriculture Commune, described the commune project as an intervention in destructive state agricultural policies.

Women across Kurdistan are currently holding workshops as they found local agricultural communes communes. Dilek Acer of the KJA explained that their project aims to bring out women's economic position as an economy of Kurdistan is formed.

Dilek noted that women and the land share strong ties based in their productivity. In agricultural workshops held in Batman, Diyarbakır and Van, she explained, academics and other participants have shared their experiences with the women forming communes.

Currently, the women are engaged in an inventory project to study plants formerly raised in the area that are no longer cultivated. Dilek explained that the project aims to assess the damage to nature.

"How did we change the weave of nature? How did we change plants? How much damage did humans to do nature? How did we devastate nature, whether with our chemicals or our pesticide?" said Dilek.

The women are currently conducting an inventory in the Kocaköy district of Diyarbakır, which will lead to a general framework for the commune project.

"We're talking about what we used to produce in the past; what we have lost with the agricultural policies implemented today; and how we can reconstruct what we lost," said Dilek. She noted that much soil in Kurdistan has never been exposed to chemicals, but that if current policies continue, such virgin soil will be lost. The women aim to inform the public about this issue.

Dilek noted that state policies have led to cultivation in Kurdistan being limited to certain specific crops.

"The fate of the soil of Kurdistan seems to be wheat, lentils, barley. But this is something being done consciously," said Dilek. "We want to diversify agriculture."

The women are also discussing how to change water policies, she said.

(gc/cm)