Palopuro's agroecological symbiosis

21.9.2015

The grain growing in the fields is ground into flour in the farm's mill, which is then processed into bread in the farm's organic bakery. Wood gas from local wood chips is used for drying, grinding and baking the grain. Waste from the mill and bakery is used as feed for the chickens on a neighboring farm.

The biomass of the green manure grasses cultivated in the crop rotation, together with horse and chicken manure, is processed in a biogas plant into transport fuel for cars and farm machinery. The digestion residue from biogasification and the biochar produced from wood gasification are utilized as soil conditioners and fertilizer in the fields of farms in the area.

Organic products produced in the area (bread, vegetables, berries, eggs, grain products) are sold directly to consumers in the farm shop.

A collaboration network of several organic farms and other industry players has been created in Palopuro, Hyvinkää – Palopuron agroecological symbiosis. Its goal is to develop an energy and nutrient self-sufficient organic production model for the area as described at the beginning. The model would also be transferable to other agricultural producers and regions. The starting points are good, as the area already has diverse production and the organic channel will open in early 2016.

Sounds good, but what are the benefits of the described model compared to the traditional food chain operation? Understanding the food system as a whole is important. Good questions are how and where is food produced and is it ecologically, economically and socially sustainable? For example, from the perspective of nutrient cycling, it is important to be aware of what happens to nutrients after harvest.

From the perspective of the sustainability of the much-talked-about biogasification, it is essential where the inputs come from and what happens to the nutrients in the digestate after biogasification. Biogas plants using grassland as input would bring the benefits of grassland farming to single-purpose crop farms.

In a more self-sufficient model of symbiosis, nutrient and energy flows are “in our own hands”. Energy production and cultivation are scaled according to existing resources. Economically, production should be more profitable due to increased efficiency and the elimination of intermediaries.

What about the replicability of the production model? A replicable model is being developed from production cooperation. In terms of replicability, it would be important to develop economically viable cooperation models that farmers can also commit to. Farmers need alternatives to the current, poorly profitable operations.

From the perspective of both the environment and the farmer, more diverse production is needed, in which farmers and companies operate in a genuine symbiosis that benefits all parties. Changes are usually slow. However, good examples and experiences of successful projects are needed.

To support the realization of the agroecological symbiosis of Palopuro, a nutrient recycling project funded by the Ministry of the Environment began in the summer of 2015.

More information about the project can be found at: http://blogs.helsinki.fi/palopuronsymbioosi

Kari Koppelmäki
Project coordinator of the Palopuro Agroecological Symbiosis project