Organic Agriculture

An essential aspect of organic cultivation is that it supports and improves the fertility of the land. A few tens of centimetres of topsoil on the surface of our planet are in a central position with respect to all growth and prosperity on earth. The soil in a field seethes with life when it is in good condition – it is full of small organisms and bacteria which break the earth down and transform these components into humus and into a form that plants can use The thicker and more fertile the land is, and the airier it is due to these organisms' work, the better the plants will thrive. It is the Living Soil that gives us produce.

Nature is one big ecological cycle: plants feed the earth and vice-versa. It is a vital condition of environmental vitality that water and nutrients can go round this cycle. This is why organic cultivation strives for self-sustainability; a balanced farm is able to produce its own manure, so no artificial fertilisers which are produced with mineral oil or other unrenewable natural resources are imported on the farm. In organic cultivation the plants get the nutrients they need from green manure, exploiting nitrogen-fixing plants and bacteria, or animal manure, which is natural nutrition for living earth.

In organic cultivation, plants are protected from diseases and pests by environmentally friendly means. In many cases the organic farming method itself ensures that there are less pest problems. This ensures that no poisons or dangerous substances enter the products during the cultivation process. The biodiversity of organic farms is also in a league of its own compared with other farms; the diversity of nature gets a chance to bloom in unpoisoned fields and animal pasture. The number of birds and butterflies is higher on organic farms.

The goal of organic cultivation is to live in balance and harmony with nature. Animals are therefore treated with respect and the animals' natural way of life is supported. Animals on organic farms are allowed to live according to their needs and eat organic feed, according to their natural diet.

Organic farming in Finland

Finland was still dominated by agriculture up until the 1970s. It is also the world's most northerly nutritionally self-supporting country. Finnish agriculture is based on family farms which often employ no outside labour. Organic farming in Finland started already in the1930s, but it began to become more common as an alternative to chemical farming in the 1990s, at which time the first state support for organic produce was granted. Nowadays 6.2% (2006) of Finland’s farming area is organic, a total of 144 667 ha. It is significant that this area is entirely comprised of arable land, and around 30% of it is used to grow grain. Finland is a big producer of organic oats.

Finnish farms usually also have animals in the form of cattle, pigs and chickens. Milk and beef are organically farmed in Finland, along with some pork and eggs, but the shortage of organic feed for animals is a problem.

Organic gathered produce

The majority of Finland is covered in forest, and this has served as a homeland and a source of sustenance for Finns since time immemorial. Finns' basic rights still include the right to freely gather berries, mushrooms and plants regardless of who owns the land. Food from the forest has been used by the Finns throughout the ages to provide them with a varied diet.

Products that have been collected from nature have their own organic inspections. It is particularly important that the population of the plants being collected or the balance of the environment are not endangered. Chemical fertilisers or pesticides are not of course used in gathering areas, which are not situated close to industrial plants or busy highways. Additionally, product pickers in the collection areas belong to a register and commit to uphold organic values. They declare information about what they have picked at the product reception point, so it is clear exactly where the products have been picked. The recipient of the products is also liable to inspection. The largest gathering areas in Finland are in Lapland, Kainuu, the north-east and north Karelia.

As neither Finland nor the EU has defined the conditions for organic game or wild fish, these cannot be marketed as organic. In Finland are there no regulations about organic marine cultivation.