Our research interest is aligned with Agroecology Topic 2, focusing on the assessment and implementation of agroecological practices in agro-industrial cropping systems, with a particular emphasis on sugar beet production. The study aims to integrate basin-scale water management approaches with agroecological principles to improve water use efficiency, reduce diffuse pollution, and enhance ecosystem services at the watershed level. Research activities will cover the entire sugar beet value chain, including sustainable crop management, soil-water interactions, nutrient management, and environmental impact assessment. By adopting a watershed-based perspective, the project seeks to contribute to climate change adaptation, sustainable water governance, and the resilience of agroecosystems in regions dominated by sugar beet cultivation.
In line with Topic 2: Farmers communities and motivations for engagement, Kayseri Şeker adopts participatory and inclusive approaches that strengthen farmer engagement within the contracted sugar beet production system, fostering trust, long-term commitment, and shared ownership of innovation processes. These practices are inherently aligned with Living Lab principles, which Kayseri Şeker has already embodied since its establishment as a cooperative organization, where farmers are not only producers but also active stakeholders in decision-making and innovation. Addressing Subtopic 2.2: Collective action, peer learning, and social innovation, the organization supports cooperative structures, farmer-to-farmer learning networks, and collaborative platforms that enable the co-creation and dissemination of sustainable agricultural practices. Within the framework of Subtopic 2.3: Farm work organization and working conditions, Kayseri Şeker promotes improved farm labor organization, efficiency, and occupational health and safety, contributing to socially sustainable and resilient farming systems. Furthermore, in response to Subtopic 2.4: Role of policies, advisory services, and AKIS, the organization works in close collaboration with advisory services, research institutions, and policy actors to strengthen knowledge transfer, align innovation activities with policy frameworks, and ensure the effective integration of research outcomes into farm-level decision-making.

Kayseri Şeker is a farmer’s organization that performs contracted sugar beet farming with approximately 15,000 farmers across the provinces of 6 cities in Türkiye, covering an average area of 50,000 hectares. Kayseri Şeker is a leader in innovation and sustainability in agriculture. It is the only company in the sector that operates three factories and meets 17% of the country’s sugar consumption. Kayseri Şeker has seven affiliates, including marketing (PanPa), domestic and international road transport services (Panpet), sack production (Pankent), cattle farming (Pandoğa), solar energy systems (PanEnerji), licensed warehousing (Lidaş), and insurance services (Kayseri Şeker Sigorta). Kayseri Şeker has established the first R&D Center in both the Turkish sugar industry and the city of Kayseri. The center carries out innovative projects with a multidisciplinary workforce. Research and development activities focus on agricultural technologies, plant protection and nutrition applications, biotechnology, process improvement, food additives production, sustainable waste management. In addition, the R&D Center continues to develop applications in artificial intelligence, robotics, and image processing by adapting the Agriculture 4.0 model to sugar beet agriculture.