Ahmet Murat Koru, Deputy Mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality, said: “We are very proud that Konya is hosting the ‘Yarma Digital Centre’, the sixth destination of the Villages of Tomorrow Project. Established through the collaboration between Trendyol and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with the leadership of our Metropolitan Municipality and contributions from Karatay Municipality, Konya Chamber of Commerce and KTO Karatay University, the Centre represents an important step towards bringing rural development together with technology. Our goal is to enable young people to build their futures where they were born, ensure that the efforts of women find value in digital markets, and help farmers achieve more productive production by benefiting from the opportunities offered by technology. Through the Yarma Digital Centre, which will provide services across a wide range of areas, from e-commerce and smart agriculture to entrepreneurship and technology training, we will further promote Konya’s strong culture of production and local values across Türkiye and around the world. As Konya Metropolitan Municipality, we will continue to stand by rural producers and young people and strengthen our technology-driven approach to development.”

Monica Merino, UNDP Türkiye Resident Representative said; “Today marks another milestone in our partnership with Trendyol. Under the Villages of Tomorrow initiative, we are bringing digital skills, technology, and economic opportunities closer to rural communities. Together with Trendyol and local partners, we aim to support local producers use digital tools for branding, production, and marketing to reach wider markets. Under Villages of Tomorrow, we have established Digital Centers in rural communities in Adana, İzmir, Sakarya, Diyarbakır, and Denizli. I am delighted that Konya is joining this network as the initiative continues to expand across Türkiye. The Yarma Digital Center is more than just a digital hub. They empower rural communities to connect with the digital economy and actively shape their own futures.”

Sinan Cem Şahin, Vice President of Trendyol Group stated at the opening ceremony; “We launched the Villages of Tomorrow Project with the belief that the opportunities offered by technology and e-commerce should not be limited to major cities. Today, as we open our sixth Digital Centre in Yarma, Konya, we are pleased to bring this vision to different regions across Türkiye. We shape our activities in line with the needs and local values of each region where we operate. This year, we also aim to expand Villages of Tomorrow activities beyond the cities where our Digital Centres are located, further increasing our impact. In Yarma, we aim to support local producers in developing their products and reaching new markets, while helping children and young people build stronger connections with technology. To date, we have reached more than 10,000 people through Villages of Tomorrow. We now hope to see new success stories emerge from Konya, driven by our producers, entrepreneurs and young people. I would like to thank UNDP and all our local partners for working with us to make this centre a reality.”

Prof. Dr. Atilla Özütok, Acting Rector of KTO Karatay University, said; “We believe that bringing academic knowledge together with local experience will help make Yarma’s potential more visible and create new opportunities. Yarma has a strong foundation, with its vibrant culture of production, rich local heritage, entrepreneurial human capital and considerable potential. We are now taking an important step towards carrying this foundation into the future through technology, bringing local values to wider audiences and enabling younger generations to benefit more from the opportunities offered by the digital world. We are confident that the Yarma Digital Centre will become a hub for learning, creating, sharing and co-developing new ideas and opportunities.”

Hasan Kılca, Mayor of Karatay Municipality, said: “As Karatay Municipality, we have sought to contribute to this project through strong local ownership, transforming this building, which previously served as a town municipality building, into a digital centre that will now be used by our students, farmers, entrepreneurs and cooperatives. Our aim here is not merely to create a product; it is to transform labour into value, local production into brands, and brands into sustainable economic contributions.”

The digital centre’s roadmap shaped by local needs

Activities to be carried out at the Yarma Digital Centre in Konya have been shaped through consultations and engagement with public institutions, local governments, universities, civil society organisations, academia and cooperatives in the region. The project’s local partners include Konya Metropolitan Municipality, Karatay Municipality, Konya Chamber of Commerce and KTO Karatay University.

The Centre aims to strengthen the capacity of producers, entrepreneurs and cooperatives to develop value-added products, build brands and make effective use of digital tools. It will also offer digital capacity-building programmes for children, young people and the wider local community. Local products, crafts and cultural values of Konya will also be incorporated into the Centre’s activities in line with the roadmap developed together with local stakeholders.

Villages of Tomorrow network continues to grow

Launched in 2022, the Villages of Tomorrow joint initiative aims to support rural development by providing the opportunities offered by technology and digitalisation to villages and rural communities across Türkiye.

To date, the project has reached more than 10,000 people, from producers to young people. Today, more than 500 products from 29 producers are available to consumers through Villages of Tomorrow online boutique. The network will continue to expand with the participation of new producers and cooperatives completing the project’s training programmes.