Mersin Metropolitan Municipality’s Project to Preserve Heirloom Seeds for the Future

Thanks to a project launched to increase the production of Gülnar’s nearly forgotten native chickpeas and pass them on to future generations, the Gülnar chickpea—famous for its flavor—will continue to simmer in pots. As part of the 2025 distribution program, farmers in Gülnar’s Bereket neighborhood each received 60 kilograms of heirloom chickpea seeds—enough to plant on 5 dönüm of land. The farmers harvested the sprouted seeds. The project goes beyond production alone and also includes marketing support. The local chickpeas grown by the producers are purchased by the Mersin Women’s Cooperative and transformed into economic value.

Durmaz: “By multiplying heirloom seeds, we are safeguarding our future”

Zeynep Durmaz, Director of the Plant Support Branch under the Mersin Metropolitan Municipality’s Department of Agricultural Services, noted that chickpea distributions to producers are continuing as part of the “On-Site Dissemination and Marketing of Local Chickpea Varieties” project, “Since 2021, we have provided a total of 4,860 kilograms of chickpeas to 81 producers in 8 neighborhoods in our Gülnar district. Under the project, we are providing 60 kilograms of chickpea seeds per person, equivalent to 5 dönüm per person,” she said.

Emphasizing the importance of heirloom seeds, Durmaz said, “It is our most important duty to protect these seeds—a vital legacy passed down to us from our ancestors—and to bring them back to our soil. Heirloom seeds are not just seeds; they are a legacy of our land, our culture, and our future. These seeds, passed down from generation to generation, are the foundation of sustainable production. As the Metropolitan Municipality, we not only support our producers but also safeguard our future by propagating heirloom seeds. We do more than just provide seed support; we stand by our producers during the marketing phase as well,” he added.

Village Head Cin: “We’re working to keep our seeds alive”

Ünal Cin, the village head of Bereket Neighborhood, said, “We thank our Metropolitan Mayor Vahap Seçer and his team for this support. Our heirloom seeds were on the verge of disappearing. Thanks to Mayor Vahap, they provided us with this support through the project to revive heirloom seeds. With this support, we are working to keep our seeds alive,” he said.

Farmers are pleased with the revival of heirloom seeds

Fatih Cam, a farmer living in Bereket Neighborhood, said, “We thank our Mayor for the support for heirloom chickpeas. We love our Mayor very much. He supports farmers. He came to us with a project like this. He supports us farmers,” noting that he finds the Metropolitan Municipality’s agricultural support projects very successful. Ganimet Tıraş, another farmer, said, “We’re harvesting the chickpeas provided by our Metropolitan Mayor. He offers us significant support, and we’re benefiting from it.”