The Earthquake response and recovery plan (ERRP) is a national policy which has been developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to address the devastating impact of the February 2023 earthquakes on the agriculture and rural sectors. The timeframe of the policy is 3 years covering the period from 2023 to 2026. The primary objective of the ERRP is to maintain food production and availability through restoration and improvement of agrifood systems and rural livelihoods. The ERRP will integrate various approaches into its actions, such as women’s empowerment, disaster risk reduction, building back better, private sector engagement, and climate-smart and nature-based solutions. It encompasses training and capacity-building activities for farmers, workers in the agriculture and food sectors, national and local institutions and professionals, along with rural territorial strategies and integrated programs. The ERRP lays down immediate-, medium- and long-term interventions in the agriculture sector to restore agrifood systems including supply and value chains, revitalize agricultural labour market, and empower rural communities for sustainable development. The immediate-term interventions under the ERRP will aim to address immediate sectoral needs and constraints in order meet the seasonal deadlines across the agricultural subsectors; ensure labour availability and reestablish market linkages for agrifood producers and systems which are experiencing market disruptions; and offset damages and losses caused by the earthquakes on current and future productivity to prevent further erosion of rural and agricultural livelihoods. The medium-term interventions, spanning six months to a year, will continue to provide essential physical and financial assistance while enhancing the adaptive capacity of the agriculture and rural sectors to post-disaster conditions. These efforts will include extending immediate response actions and support to 11 provinces with district-specific recovery designs, initiating recovery actions such as investments in agrifood processing, entrepreneurship, and sectoral enterprises, scaling up capacity adaptation and skills-shifting by investing in labor market skills and matching skilled labor with private sector needs, and further developing rural social networking strategies while gradually introducing activities aimed at rural empowerment. The long-term interventions, extending beyond one year, will enhance the sustainable development capacity of the sector and fully incorporate the “building back better” approach into recovery actions. These efforts aim to integrate sustainable development practices, such as creating efficient value chains, empowering women-led enterprises, and promoting climate-smart agriculture, particularly in soil and water resource management. Additionally, they will advance skills through farmer field and business schools, invest in digital and green economies, and implement nature-based solutions. Furthermore, these interventions will empower communities to build disaster resilience, sustainably manage rural and environmental assets, and collectively improve livelihoods.
Türkiye · 2023-01-01