Project Date: 15-17 Temmuz 2016
Funder/Supporter: Serhat Development Agency (SERKA)
Project Partner: Kars Kafkas University
Sector: Academic Event, Tourism Promotion, Traditional Food, International Relations
This event aimed to promote Kars Kaşarı internationally and create a platform for knowledge exchange among key stakeholders in traditional cheesemaking. The symposium hosted academics, producers, and experts from 8 countries, including Switzerland, the USA, Belgium, Spain, Georgia, and Armenia, alongside numerous participants from Turkey. Over three days and seven sessions, traditional cheesemaking was discussed from multiple perspectives. A key outcome was the consensus on the need to find a balance between food safety and food sovereignty. Participants agreed that GI legislation should be adapted to protect local ecology and traditional knowledge, adopting local and participatory models for auditing and fostering collaborative networks instead of competition. The proceedings of the symposium were published in 2018 as International Symposium on Local-Traditional Cheeses in Turkey and the World: The Geographical Indication of Kars Kaşarı.
