Gaziantep Mayor Presents Circular Food System at COP31

Gaziantep Metropolitan Mayor Fatma Şahin presented the city's circular urban food system approach at COP31 in Antalya. She delivered her presentation titled "Gaziantep: From Gastronomy to Circular Urban Food System" at the Türkiye Pavilion in the Blue Zone.

The Antalya FOLLOWR4FS Initiative was organized by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and Turkey's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Journalist Mine Ataman moderated the session, where participants discussed initiatives and projects combating food loss and waste.

“Gaziantep: From Gastronomy to Circular Urban Food System”

Şahin explained how climate change affects Gaziantep's food system and addressed climate-resilient agriculture, water efficiency, smart irrigation, and the protection of local seeds. She also shared practices to reduce food losses across the supply chain from producer to consumer.

Her remarks covered the cold chain, food safety, and sustainable consumption, along with the reuse of organic waste and the circular use of resources. She highlighted the role of women producers and cooperatives in the food system.

The city's efforts to connect its gastronomic heritage with local production were presented to attendees. Both reports described the same session and contained no conflicting details.