This project is concerned with policy development, capacity and institution building, and training. It is primarily aimed to support the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), it is also intended to have an impact amongst a wider range of target groups.

The demand for organic products is increasing all over the world since organic agriculture helps to conserve the environment due to less intensive use of land. Organic agriculture also promotes sustainable use of natural resources through the emphasis put on on-farm resources and mixed farming. The development of Turkish organic agriculture both for the domestic and export markets (which currently account for more than 95% of Turkish organic production) will improve traceability and safety in Turkish products. It will also exert a favourable impact on conventional production. Organic agriculture started in Turkey in 1984-85, with the demand coming from EU countries with an increasing market for organic food and non-food products.

In order to further promote organic agriculture the immediate objectives are to align the related Turkish legislation to the EC Organic Regulation (2092/91), to train concerned staff, develop regional pilot projects and to establish an efficient data collection and communication system. Due to the rapid expansion of organic agriculture, MARA intends to increase its resource capacity in order to implement a governance and extension system in Turkey. Improved governance will ensure that Turkey maintains its high standards and products will, therefore, be recognised for their quality. Development of the extension system will help expansion of the market through the provision of good quality technical information and advice.

The development of the Terms of Reference for this project commenced with the preparation of the Project Fiche during 2004. Since then, there has been continued development of MARA and the organic sector in Turkey. There is no doubt that the capacity and effectiveness of MARA has increased during this period. The implementation of effective systems for the control and supervision of organic certification bodies (OCBs) and legislative developments relevant to the organic sector are both indications of this success.

During the Inception Phase it has become clear that MARA and specifically the Department of Alternative Agriculture Production Techniques (with responsibility for control, supervision and development of the organic sector), is an effective, committed and expert department. However, the situation both from the market and legislative perspective has changed since the Project ToR was developed. Two specific issues are relevant to the context of this Project:

• Firstly, revision of the EU Organic Regulation (2092/91) has been ongoing for more than one year. There have been many amendments made since the Regulation was adopted 15 years ago. This is the first occasion that a substantial review and revision has been implemented.

• Secondly, the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) and specifically the preparation of a Rural Development Plan for Turkey will set the framework for the implementation of policies for rural development.

The primary stakeholder of this project is the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA); specifically the Department of Alternative Agricultural Techniques; the MARA Committee on Organic Agriculture, MARA Provincial Directorates and MARA Regional Offices of Agriculture; and agricultural research and extension institutions.

Other, secondary stakeholders include organic farmers; organic processing and marketing businesses; organic certification bodies (OCBs); organic and environmental NGOs; and the wider rural community.