Biodiversity Training for Farmers

Work on biodiversity in agricultural environments often focuses on conservation, but from a farmer’s perspective it is equally important to understand how biodiversity can support profitable farming. We are piloting a new training programme that helps farmers make practical use of agricultural biodiversity.

Expectations for farmers’ biodiversity expertise are increasing through consumer demands and procurement criteria alike. At the same time, food security considerations underline the need to find functional alternatives to chemical inputs. However, farmers do not always have sufficient practical knowledge of what biodiversity means in practice or how it can be combined with productive and economically viable farming.

Farmers’ decisions have a significant impact on ecosystems, yet practical knowledge on how biodiversity can be integrated into productive and economically viable agriculture remains limited. In the project we also produce open-access training materials and an economic assessment of biodiversity-enhancing farming measures.

Biodiversity has declined substantially, and intensive farming practices continue to accelerate this trend. For example, monocultures and the use of pesticides reduce pollinators, beneficial insects and plant diversity. The project strengthens farmers’ ability to utilise biodiversity in their operations and supports responsible practices throughout the food value chain.

As biodiversity competence increases at farm level, individual farms will be better equipped to anticipate and adapt to changing growing conditions. From the perspective of strengthening the sustainability of food production, the knowledge produced by the project is both essential and readily applicable.

Target group

The target group for the pilot training is farmers in Uusimaa. Information about biodiversity and its benefits is disseminated nationwide, benefiting the entire country of Finland.

Operating area

Finland

Photo: Sabrina Luff