Can agroforestry be practiced in Finland as a sustainable agricultural land use system?
Public seminar organised by the Viikki Tropical Resources Institute (VITRI),
Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki
When: Tuesday, 1 November 2022 (13:00-16:00)
Where: Auditorium B7, B-building, Latokartanonkaari 7, Viikki campus, Helsinki
Agroforestry is a collection of agricultural land management approaches practised by more than 1.2 billion people on around 1 billion hectares of land worldwide (World Bank 2004; Zomer et al. 2016). Agroforestry is a relatively new name for the age-old agricultural land use that is mainly practised by smallholder farmers. It is considered to be an environment-friendly and sustainable approach to agricultural land use, which purposefully grows trees and crops, and/or animals, in interacting combinations, for a range of benefits and services. Agroforestry contributes to climate change adaptation and mitigation, enhances biodiversity, protects the soil, and improves the overall environmental integrity of the landscapes. Although it is a widely used farming system in the tropics, agroforestry is also practised in some European countries; notable among these practices are the Dehesas in Spain and the reindeer husbandry in Nordic countries. In total, agroforestry in the EU is practised on 52 million hectares of land (EPRS 2020). Is agroforestry environmentally and economically sustainable and socially acceptable system in Finland? What types of agroforestry systems are potentially suitable for different areas in Finland? What are the bottlenecks for the wider adoption of agroforestry in Finland? To get an idea of these and other questions - come, attend and participate in the discussion!
SEMINARE PRESENTATIONS AND PROGRAMME
Time
Theme
Presenter
13:00 – 13:05
Opening remarks
Prof. Markus Holopainen (UH)
13:05 – 13:20
Agroforestry in Finland: Relevant experiences from
the tropics
Eshetu Yirdaw (UH)
13:20 – 13:35
Agroforestry practice in Finland
Tuomas Mattila (SYKE)
13:35 – 13:50
Agroforestry network in Finland
Michael den Herder (EFI)
13:50 – 14:05
The nexus between agroforestry systems and
ecosystem services
Em. Prof. Markku Kanninen (UH)
14:05 – 14:30
COFFEE BREAK
14:30 – 14:45
Soil impact of trees incorporated in the
agricultural systems in Finland
Laura Heimsch (UH)
14:45 – 15:55
Panel Discussion/ Prof. Edward Webb moderator
All speakers
15:55 – 16:00
Concluding remarks
Noora Simola (FFD)
For more information: Eshetu Yirdaw (eshetu.yirdaw[ad]helsinki.fi)