Selda Susal Saatçi, Group Corporate Communications and Affairs Director at Anadolu Efes, said:

“In a world where resources are becoming increasingly critical, we believe that sustainability must be addressed not only from an environmental perspective, but also through its economic and social dimensions. At Anadolu Efes, our story begins with the soil; two of our four main raw materials come directly from the land. For this reason, we see agriculture not merely as a part of our production, but as an important area where we can create long-term value.  

Second Harvest is a tangible example of this approach. Rather than seeing the barley straw left in the fields after harvest as waste, we saw it as a resource with the potential to create new value. In partnership with UNDP Türkiye, we brought together the production know-how of women’s cooperatives with design and art, transforming an agricultural by-product into part of a new cycle that generates both economic and social value.

Today, the fact that this model is being brought to New York through FIT demonstrates not only how far the project has come, but also the potential it holds. The production know-how that emerged in Adıyaman meeting academic and creative communities at one of the world’s leading design schools demonstrates how a solution rooted in a local context can evolve through new ideas and inspire others across different geographies. We will continue to build on this value, so that none of what the soil offers us is left without a story to tell.”

Ceyda Alpay, Economic Growth and Competitiveness Portfolio Manager at UNDP Türkiye, said:

“Second Harvest offers a valuable model for inclusive development that places women at the centre. The project aims not only to repurpose agricultural by-products, but also to empower women in production processes and support local economies.

Second Harvest is a very tangible example of UNDP Türkiye’s approach to sustainable development. By using resources more efficiently, wasting less, and creating new value from what is already available, the project puts circular economy principles into practice while supporting women’s economic empowerment and contributing to local development in the earthquake-affected region.  

There is no single path to a circular economy. Solutions work best when they respond to local realities and build on existing knowledge and resources. We believe that bringing the Second Harvest experience to FIT in New York can help share what has been learned in Adıyaman and inspire locally relevant approaches elsewhere.”

Birnur Temel Birtane, Founding Director of the MILKist Social Design Center and co-curator of the exhibition, said:

“For us, Second Harvest is more than a circular economy model; it is a story of transformation that brings to light the knowledge embedded in the soil, women’s labour and local production culture. Through this project, women in the region are not merely producers; they are becoming stakeholders who carry this knowledge forward and pass their artisanship on to future generations. Today, the fact that this knowledge is meeting an international academic and creative community in New York demonstrates the immense potential of local production culture as a source of inspiration.”

Women Carry the Exhibition’s Central Narrative

The exhibition features footage documenting the production processes of the Eliyaman and Fortuna Women’s Initiative Cooperatives in Adıyaman, as well as the women’s own stories. The cooperative members are presented not simply as practitioners of the production process, but as knowledge holders with the expertise to share their experience, pass on production methods and recipes, and provide training. What is therefore travelling from Adıyaman to New York is not only a material developed from barley straw, but also the women’s production knowledge, skills and lived experiences.

Production Across Four Geographies, Brought Together in One Exhibition

Soil to Surface is conceived not simply as an exhibition presenting completed works, but as an ongoing space for research and development. The production knowledge and labour of the cooperatives in Adıyaman, applications by designers and artists in Türkiye, creations by craftspeople in New York, and new material experiments by the FIT community come together in a single exhibition.

Ahead of the exhibition, an open call held at FIT invited New York’s creative community to explore innovative ideas using the barley straw-based material. Works developed through the open call are also being presented to visitors as part of the exhibition.