The event seminar of the dissemination activity of the Shepherd Bridge project, which was initiated under the Erasmus+ Program and carried out under the coordination of the Burdur Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, was held on September 1, 2022; The project took place at Lavanta Hotel under the leadership of Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University. The seminar was held with Burdur project partners; Shepherds from Burdur, Antalya and Isparta provinces, valuable academics and personnel from non-governmental organizations also participated.The seminar that took place with Turkey project partners; Shepherds from Burdur, Antalya and Isparta provinces, valuable academics and personnel from non-governmental organizations also participated.
MAKÜ project partner Professor Özkan Elmaz, who carried out the seminar, stated that the project was supported by the Turkish National Agency and the European Union, and said that their aim was to raise awareness about the shepherd’s profession.
Elmaz drew attention to the fact that Turkey must meet the majority of its meat deficit from sheep and goats, and said:
“In order to close this gap and continue the shepherd profession, we can increase the interest of young people towards this profession. The social life of shepherds should be improved, we can create similar environments abroad and enable them to lead a more comfortable life. We know that it is one of the most lucrative professions economically.
We have developed a holistic project with Burdur Governorship and Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry by considering these aspects of the profession. We have foreign partners in Greece, Serbia and Spain, where ovine breeding is developed. Noting that 10 of our shepherds in Serbia and Greece were subjected to 5-day practical and theoretical training with the project exchange program, Elmaz said that shepherds saw similar and different practices in these countries. In addition, when they returned, they had the opportunity to tell other shepherds about their knowledge. This was the purpose of today’s seminar, nearly 120 shepherds from our region participated in our seminar.”
In addition, Elmaz stated that they created a training curriculum for shepherds who were taken to Europe, “Animal races, what should be considered about breeding, cultural differences.
We have prepared booklets with the project partners about what they are.”
In the seminar, the shepherds who went to the partner countries Serbia and Greece within the scope of the project had the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience about the training they received on small cattle breeding and the businesses they went to, to the other shepherds who attended the seminar and to the academicians working in this field.
In addition to the seminar; prof. Mustafa Tekerli from Afyon Kocatepe University “Rehabilitation studies in sheep breeding in Turkey”, Prof. from Hatay Mustafa Kemal University. Mahmut Keskin “Current situation of goat breeding in Turkey”, Prof. from Sivas Cumhuriyet University. Yusuf Ziya Oğrak “Characteristics of Kangal Dog and Kangal Akkaraman Sheep”, from Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Assoc. Eray Dökü also contributed with his presentation on “The Paths Followed by Shepherds in the Teke Region from Past to Present”.
Seminar; It ended with a photography exhibition and distribution of certificates to the participating shepherds.
