Organic 2.0 – Regenerative methods in organic farming

Food production systems are at the heart of the public debate of mitigating climate change. More climate resilience, carbon sequestration and reducing greenhouse gas emissions is expected from agriculture. Another equal concern is the loss of biodiversity: maintaining and restoring biodiversity is also a prominent objective in agriculture. Successes in the achievement of these goals require a diverse range of tools. Pressure to improve the climate resilience of agriculture has already increased farmers` interest in soil health management. Many methods that have long been used in organic production are increasingly being used in conventional agricultural production as well. Treasuring the biodiversity is only being learned.

Our agriculture is at transition towards regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agriculture is a system that regenerates its resources and consists of farming practices and principles that regenerate topsoil and soil health and enhance the entire farm ecosystem and biodiversity. Methods of improving the soil health include e.g. versatile crop rotation, cover and catch crops and minimalizing tillage.
Organic farming needs to be evolved to maintain and further strengthen its position as a certified production system for sustainable food production in the global food system. The development of organic farming requires the improvement of its environmental efficiency based on scientific knowledgeand with an understanding of the practical operating environment.

The main goal of the project is to enhance organic farming expertise in South Savo towards regenerative agriculture and elevate its profile at the national level. The aim is to find out and test the possibilities and practices of regenerative organic farming based on existing research data and through practical experiments on organic farms. The target group of the project consists of organic farmers, researchers, advisors, consumers interested in organic production and other public actors.

As a result of the project, educational material on the implementation of regenerative organic farming in different production directions will be created based on existing research data and experiences gathered in farm experiments.

The project is a joint project between the Natural Resources Institute Finland and Ruralia Institute of University of Helsinki and it runs 1.4.2020-30.4.2022. The project is funded by ELY Centre of South Savo from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Luonnonmukaisen tuotannon edistämissäätiö Foundation.