The latest member of UEP group, Janina Käyhkö brings findings from her dissertation research on maladaptation in the Nordic agriculture to the public with group leader Sirkku Juhola. It is widely claimed that last year’s crop losses were caused by unexceptionally cold weather, high precipitation and high drying costs. On the other hand, farmers both in Finland and Sweden, are not necessarily prepared to handle unexceptional weather events of the scale that climate change brings about. Nevertheless, the national adaptation policies in the two countries hand the responsibility of adaptation to the actors on field. The latest implication of which was the replacement of national crop loss compensation with private crop insurances in Finland. National and EU agriculture policies also affect adaptation indirectly. However, for securing sustainable food production in the Nordic, long-term adaptation policy acknowledging the hands-on experiences and the know-how from farm-scale, needs to be developed.
Read the whole piece for further insights from Maaseudun Tulevaisuus (in Finnish).