Milk quality, job opportunities continue to grow through JohnsonDiversey partnership in Turkey
A program to improve the quality of milk in the rural southeastern region of Turkey continued to show promise in 2008. The project, a collaboration between JohnsonDiversey and the government of Turkey, is intended to provide sustainable jobs for women in the area and to establish a viable source of quality raw milk for the region.
The area has been plagued with very poor milk quality for many years, as well as poor living standards, limited education and a poor social infrastructure. In 2007, JohnsonDiversey initiated a partnership with Turkey's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the United Kingdom's International Agriculture Technologies Center to establish a training program for women dairy farmers in the region. JohnsonDiversey has donated products and equipment to help improve farm sanitation and milking hygiene.
Five female veterinarians have completed a training program with the IATC and with JohnsonDiversey, and have been working with farmers for the past year. Since February 2008, they have conducted monthly testing and monitoring of milk quality. The veterinarians and JohnsonDiversey staff conduct field visits to evaluate the farm operations and help establish corrective measures to continue improving the quality of the milk.
Dubbed "Save the Milk," the project is helping women in the region establish a stronger economic footing in the community. A target outcome of the project is to encourage a national processor to establish a processing plant in the region or to engage a processor in buying the milk, which would sub-stantially increase the value of the milk produced on the farms.