Search results for "kestävä maatalous"

Sustainable Mixed Cropping Systems for the Boreal-Nemoral Region

2020

Mixed cropping, including intercropping, is the oldest form of systemized agricultural production and involves the growing of two or more species or cultivars of the same species simultaneously in the same field. However, mixed cropping has been little by little replaced by sole crop systems, especially in developed countries. Some of the advantages of mixed cropping are, for example, resource use efficiency and yield stability, but there are also several challenges, such as weed management and competition. The boreal-nemoral region lies within the region 55° to 70° N. In this area, for example in Finland, the length of the thermal growing season varies from less than 105 to over 185 days. …

The resilience of Finnish farms: Exploring the interplay between agency and structure

2020

Resilience implies, in its essence, the capacity of a system to tolerate disturbances while retaining its essential functions. In the context of agriculture, resilience thinking calls for considering the ability of farms to thrive in turbulent times along with the ability of the ecological system – in which the agricultural production is embedded – to retain its function and integrity. Resilience is a relevant conceptual tool to analyse the contradictory management demands that farms are facing within the current neoliberal market regime: being economically viable and environmentally sustainable. In this study, the resilience of farms was operationalised through farmers' perceptions concern…

Socio-cultural lock-ins and the difficulty of sustainability transition in fertilization : response to Struckman

2021

This commentary discusses the socio-cultural context of farming and proposes ways to break related lock-ins in the context of sustainability transition research. To be able to change farming practices and design policies to promote the changes, it is essential to understand what actually needs to change. Do we need to change the ways farmers think, the ways that food markets operate, the requirements of plant varieties or the requirements related to protecting water quality? In a complex situation the needed change emerges from the intertwinement of many different issues, which simultaneously work to create the locked-in situation. A focus on people and their practices provides a good start…

Cultivating cultural sustainability in farming practices

2018

The aim of this chapter is to explore agricultural practices and their sustainability, in order to analyse the essence and dynamics of culture in relation to sustainable development. We ask, what should sustain in culture and what does culturally sustainable development entail? We identified three core qualities of sustainability in farming: fertility, diversity and continuity. They are bound together and shaped by rationalization related to the feasible functioning of the farming system and appreciation judging the desirability and quality of the practices. We discuss the ways the model explaining the sustainability of agricultural practices can be used to inform the essence of culture in …

Finnish dairy farmers’ perceptions of justice in the transition to carbon-neutral farming

2022

Highlights • Finnish dairy farmers' perceptions of issues with carbon neutrality were examined. • Concerns include farming profitability, farmer blaming, and use of peatlands. • Public policy guidance is needed for carbon-neutral, sustainable agriculture. Environmental and political debate concerning the role of agriculture in sustainability has long been on the agenda. However, owing to climate change, an analysis of the transition to a low-carbon society must also be considered from the perspective of justice. Dairy farming, in particular, faces pressure in this context, when contemplating changing consumer behaviors and reduction in the carbon footprint of dairy products. Accordingly, ma…

Introduction to the special issue on just food system transition : Tackling inequalities for sustainability

2023

This special issue builds understanding of just transitions by looking at specific dynamics in food system transitions. The articles in the special issue apply a multi-dimensional understanding of justice, which stress that in addition to distributional matters, also recognition and procedural justice require attention in transitions. The current injustices in the food system emphasize the interrelatedness of these dimensions. The special issue includes eight articles that scrutinize food system transition in various contexts from Finland to Brazil and from farm-level decision-making to the UN food system summit. The papers demonstrate the focality of recognition justice for interpreting co…

Governance of organic cocoa production : An analysis of EU regulation through the framework of multilevel governance

2022

Motivation While organic agriculture is seen as the best way to achieve sustainable agriculture, the question of how actors in the sector can help remains unresolved. This article seeks to contribute to the global determination to resolve environmental challenges through sustainable agricultural practices grounded in multilevel governance. Purpose The article examines existing regulations governing the production and importation of organic cocoa. Methods and approach Multilevel governance is used as a theoretical and methodological tool to examine the discursive and material struggles which challenge the promotion of organic cocoa, using a content analysis of European Union (EU) regulations…

Shared socioeconomic pathways for climate change research in Finland: co-developing extended SSP narratives for agriculture

2021

AbstractShared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs), developed at global scale, comprise narrative descriptions and quantifications of future world developments that are intended for climate change scenario analysis. However, their extension to national and regional scales can be challenging. Here, we present SSP narratives co-developed with stakeholders for the agriculture and food sector in Finland. These are derived from intensive discussions at a workshop attended by approximately 39 participants offering a range of sectoral perspectives. Using general background descriptions of the SSPs for Europe, facilitated discussions were held in parallel for each of four SSPs reflecting very different c…

Reilua ruokaa tänään ja huomenna : suosituksia kestävän ruokajärjestelmän luomiseksi

2019

Farming on the margins : Just transition and the resilience of peripheral farms

2022

Sustainability transition demands fundamental changes taking place at the farm system level. At the same time, many farms are operating on the verge of financial profitability, especially in geographically disadvantaged peripheral regions with a limited range of production opportunities. These observations raise concerns about the transition's justice aspects. Using the concept of resilience, we analysed farmers’ capacities for transformation in a peripheral context in Finland. The results from our farmer survey (n = 577) indicated that the regime exerts a strong cost-price squeeze on farmers, escaping of which is difficult also for farmers deliberately seeking new pathways beyond it. Due t…