01.07.2021 | News
Can regenerative farming help to save the Baltic Sea?
Finland’s biggest political festival, SuomiAreena, is, again this year, bringing together Finland’s leading decision-makers, politicians, industry and civil society for discussions about the present and the future. This year, SuomiAreena is being held on 12-16 July as a hybrid festival with stages in both Helsinki and Pori. The Nordic Council of Ministers will participate with different Nordic actors in highly topical discussions on all the days and offer daily breakfast talks at a Nordic pop-up café in the centre of Helsinki.
At Café Norden, big Nordic names, experts and other interested parties will meet every morning at 8:30-10 a.m. to enjoy a summer breakfast while discussing, among other things, border obstacles, sustainability and innovations in industry and agriculture, gender equality and the involvement of young people in Nordic cooperation.
Wednesday, 14 July the discussion will be about regenerative farming and the positive effects of it on the Baltic Sea and the environment
Download programme in English
Agriculture is Finland’s biggest source of nutrient loading to the Baltic Sea. Reducing the impact on watercourses from arable land requires a number of different methods, with good arable land as the starting point.
The Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (Nefco) and the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) are together arranging a discussion on how we can make Nordic agriculture more environmentally friendly. Regenerative agriculture improves the structure and health of soil, which benefits not only the Baltic Sea and the environment in general but also the farmer, the food producer and ultimately the consumer.
Welcome to Café Norden at Restaurant Kappeli to participate in the discussion and at the same time enjoy a summer breakfast. You can also listen to the panel discussion online!
Café Norden will serve breakfast 8:30-10 a.m.
Discussion and livestream: 8:45-9:15 a.m. (Helsinki time, UTC +3 hrs)
Place: Restaurant Kappeli’s terrace, Eteläesplanadi 1, Helsinki
Online: through Nordic Council of Minister’s Facebook page
Food production and agriculture are facing many sustainability challenges, such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, affected nutrient cycles and poor financial viability. Regenerative farming includes methods that bind more carbon into the soil and can thereby help reduce the progress of climate change and help adapt agriculture to the climate. Increased carbon content improves the structure of soil and the productivity of arable land and thereby also benefits the farmer. At the same time, the methods that improve soil structure help to bind nutrients and water into the soil for the crops that grow in it. Reduced leaching of nutrients from arable land improves the balance in watercourses and reduces the need for mineral fertilisers. Knehtilä farm is a pioneer in sustainable agriculture, being self-sufficient in energy and recycling of nutrients.
Food producers can influence the sustainability of food production by collaborating with different actors in their value chain. Several food producers are already active in the field of regenerative farming through the Baltic Sea Action Group’s Carbon Action programme, and Fazer is one of the companies in Finland working actively to promote sustainable agriculture. Consumers can contribute to sustainable food production by supporting producers that work to promote regenerative agriculture, both individual farmers and major actors.
How does it work in practice?
What is already being done and how can we further develop regenerative agriculture? We will hear more about this from our panellists:
- Markus Eerola, farmer and owner of Knehtilä Farm
- Laura Höijer, Content Director, Baltic Sea Action Group
- Lara Saulo, Managing Director, Fazer Bakery
- Lena Korkea-aho, Senior Environmental Analyst, NIB
- Dennis Hamro-Drotz, Senior Investment Manager, Nefco and moderator of the discussion
The Nordic Café will be open 8:30-10 a.m. and the discussion will start at 8:45 a.m. Arrive on time, enjoy a summer breakfast and participate in the discussion. The first 30 guests will be invited to breakfast.
The morning talk is being arranged as part of the Nordic programme under SuomiAreena, under the leadership of the Nordic Council of Ministers. Welcome!
Read more about the Nordic Council of Ministers’ programme at SuomiAreena at www.norden.org
The discussion will be held in Finnish and Swedish.
Programme available in Finnish
Programme available in Swedish