Thousands of Izmir residents gathered around the sweet table of nature and labor

Türkiye’s first Jam Festival was organized in Yakaköy by Bornova Municipality in cooperation with the İzmir Chamber of Food Engineers. The festival, which attracted thousands of İzmir residents, drew great interest with women producers’ handmade jams, competitions, concerts, and children’s activities. In his speech, Mayor Ömer Eşki defended nature, agriculture, and women’s labor, emphasizing that Bornova would be remembered not for concrete but for its natural products. Criticizing a Ministry plan for Erzene Neighborhood, a natural protected area with agricultural lands, he declared: “I will defend every single leaf of every olive tree.”

The festival, held at Yakaköy Picnic Area, offered a rich program ranging from women’s artisanal products to children’s activities, concerts, and contests.

Sweet competition and colorful events
The festival featured 50 producer stands, jam-making workshops, blind tasting events, band and zeybek performances, children’s games, and concerts, raising the festive spirit to its peak. In the “Best Jam Contest,” first place went to Hacer Gamze Üçler with her mixed fig-pear-walnut jam, second place to Feride Güleşçi with milk jam, and third place to Azime Işık with watermelon rind jam.

Mayor Eşki: “I will defend the leaves of olive trees one by one”
Accompanied by his wife Beste Ekşi, Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki toured the festival area and delivered a speech in which he shared childhood memories while voicing strong messages on agriculture and environmental struggle:

“For centuries in this country, there have been two kinds of people. One prioritizes women, science, nature, and agriculture, striving to keep them sustainably within daily life. The other sidelines them—locking women at home, destroying nature and agriculture to replace them with concrete, choosing the green of dollars over the green of nature, and showing no respect or compassion. Sometimes the first group prevails, but unfortunately, more often the second dominates, trying to suppress women, destroy nature, and keep us away from beauty.

As a child, I never forgot the taste of the rose and apricot jams my mother made at home. We weren’t rich, but we could reach a rose, an apricot, an apple. We grew up with their sweetness.

If the price of jam surpasses that of honey, there is a problem in that country. Today, the jams our mothers once made are more expensive than honey on market shelves. We either stay silent or fight back. For example, we either accept the destruction of olive trees in Bornova’s Erzene Neighborhood to build apartments, or we resist. I choose resistance.

No one will deprive our children of the natural foods our parents and we once enjoyed. I will fight as long as I have breath. We will not allow women to be imprisoned at home and an entirely male-dominated world to be built. That’s why we open Urban Gardens in the most remote corners, so women can farm, grow their own vegetables, and socialize. We revived the Kiraz Festival in Beşyol, and now we’ve launched a Jam Festival in Yakaköy. Next year, we plan a Tomato and Paste Festival in Sarnıç.

We don’t want Bornova’s villages remembered for being turned into concrete through deals in Ankara. We want them remembered for their beauty, jams, cherries, and tomatoes. We want a Bornova, an İzmir, a Türkiye where women can bring their own products to the table.

I was raised by teachers educated by Mustafa Kemal. They taught us: ‘Domestic goods are the nation’s goods; everyone should use them.’ Yet today, a Member of Parliament works to open Bornova’s lands to cement factories instead of protecting them. From here I say: as long as I live and breathe, I will never hand over Bornova’s rights to profiteers or political fixers. I will defend the olive trees of Bornova leaf by leaf, protect every part of nature. We will defeat their dollars—our labor will bury their greed in history.”

Support from the Metropolitan Municipality
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Mayor Banu Gençkal thanked Mayor Eşki:

“I congratulate our young and successful mayor Ömer Eşki for such a beautiful event. This is the first Jam Festival, but it’s very clear it won’t be the last. It’s so valuable to see the sparkle in the eyes of women here today.”

“Women’s labor guarantees biodiversity”
Ömer Ulaş Kırım, President of the İzmir Chamber of Food Engineers, emphasized the significance of the festival:

“Thanks to Bornova Municipality, we live in a district where rural development is prioritized. We see jams made from countless different products here—this reflects our biodiversity. The key is to evaluate it properly. Women’s labor must be appreciated.”

Yakaköy’s gratitude
Yakaköy Muhtar Nedim Sert expressed pride in hosting the festival, while Esra Türkon, speaking on behalf of the women producers, said:

“We thank Mayor Ömer Eşki and the Agricultural Services Directorate. After receiving training for so long, it’s wonderful to showcase our own products.”

Colorful scenes, unforgettable moments
Children’s workshops, trampolines, and inflatable playgrounds thrilled the little ones, while concerts by Ali Çakar and Fulya Atıl, along with band and zeybek performances, filled the festival with excitement.