Mustiala campus’ organic farm designated as a good example – one in five in Europe
TP Organics, an organic network recognised by the European Commission, has designated the Mustiala campus farm of Häme University of Applied Sciences as a “lighthouse farm” along with four other European farms. In different ways, Lighthouse farms are driving the organic sector and the broader transformation of the agri-food system.
A lighthouse farm refers to a farm where organic practices are brought to the fore in training and where the adoption of innovative solutions can be increased on other farms. Lighthouse farms also often carry out research and business cooperation, which promote organic activities through various experiments.
TP Organics names Lighthouse Spaces in its report, which was published in Belgium in October at the Organic Innovation Days 2022. In addition to farms, the report names seven organic “living lab” networks. According to the study, the initiatives selected are innovative in improving organic practices and will inspire a wider transformation of the agri-food system. They present not only technological improvements, but also social, economic and organizational innovations.
In-depth interviews were conducted with representatives of farms, in which the specifics of the farm’s activities, the development and innovations carried out on the farms, and their knowledge sharing were reviewed. ‘It was a pleasure to see that our operations and the Mustiala organic farm are listed in Europe and we were invited to participate in the report,’ says Research Director Annukka Pakarinen, who represented Häme University of Applied Sciences in an interview.
“It was a pleasure to see that our operations and Mustiala organic farm are listed in Europe and we were invited to participate in the report,” Pakarinen says.
Other Lighthouse farms are located in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Austria and Spain.
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Read more: TP Organics press release and research report