Many of the teachers and other researchers in Agricultural Sciences are active members of the five high-quality research organizations, namely the Viikki Plant Science Center (ViPS), the Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), the Helsinki One Health (HOH) and the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR). The aim of these organizations is to enhance cutting-edge and internationally recognized research and teaching.
The research according to the programme's four study tracks is presented below.
Plant Production Sciences focuses on the sustainability of agriculture and food systems, adaptation to climate change, the identification of new crop plants, the efficiency of nutrient intake, protein self-sufficiency and new sources of plant protein, defence mechanisms against plant diseases, the environmental impacts of production, the preservation of diversity, and the exploitation of genomic information in plant breeding and biotechnology.
Our research is focused on the following six research areas in Plant Production Sciences:
Animal Science examines alternative sources of protein, such as microphytes, insects and new plant proteins, as well as the effect of nutrition on the welfare of animals. Research in animal breeding and biotechnology develops measures to make use of automatically collected large bodies of data and genomic information in the selection of animals with the aim of intensifying animal production in a sustainable manner.
Sustainable use of natural resources, mitigation of environmental impact and animal well-being are guiding our research, which focuses on:
Agrotechnology studies the sustainable intensification of production methods, the use of automation, measuring techniques and modelling in production and decision-making, the production and use of renewable energy, as well as the means provided by soil and environmental technology to enhance the recycling of nutrients and manage environmental loading as the climate changes.
Our research is focused on:
Environmental Soil Science focuses on physical, chemical and microbiological processes in the production of clean food and groundwater as well as other soil ecosystem services, the utilisation of waste and industrial by-products, the management of environmental loading and the remediation of polluted sites. Clean soil is a precondition for vital biota and material cycling in the ecosystem.