Agriculture in Finland is characterized by the northern climate and self-sufficiency in most major agricultural products.
Its economic role is declining in terms of
GNP and employment in
primary production, but together with the
food industry and
forestry with which it is linked, it forms a significant part of the
Finnish economy.[1][2] The number of farms has steadily declined for the last decades. Between 2000 and 2012 their number fell from almost 80,000 in 2000 to about 60,000, while the amount of
arable land has slightly increased to a total of almost 2.3 million hectares.[2]
Agriculture employed 125,000 people in 2010, which is a drop of 30 percent from 2000.[3]
A study to examine job resources, work engagement and Finnish dairy farmers' preferences concerning methods to enhance overall well-being while working on farms was conducted. The results indicate that the family, working with cattle, healthy farm animals, a reasonable workload, and a sustainable farm economy have the capacity to create positive impacts on well-being among dairy farmers. Well-being on farms is a part of
sustainable food production.
Geography
The majority of farms and agricultural land in Finland lie between the 60th and 65th
parallel,[4] making it the only country in the world with a significant agricultural sector so far in the north.[5][6]
The percentage of farms concentrating on animal production increases towards the north and east.[7]
Monographella nivalis and Puccinia recondita routinely plague
winter rye. Native
cultivars are usually more well suited to the native
disease and abiotic environment (with the exception of one variety and one disease). Late-sowing is the better disease management strategy in Finland.[10]
Puccinia triticina (
wheat leaf rust) commonly appears late in the wheat season. Severe losses are rare but due occur with a combination of susceptible cultivars, mild winter, and further favorable weather through the rest of the season. The most common
resistance gene deployed between 1992 and 2002 was Lr10 at 20.0% (less popular were Lr14a and Lr26). The most popular cultivars were: for spring wheat, 'Tjalve' (no Lrs), 'Mahti' (Lr10), 'Vinjett' (Lr14a), 'Kruunu' (Lr10), 'Bastian' (none), 'Zebra' (Lr14a), 'Manu' (unknown) and 'Anniina' (unknown); and for winter wheat, 'Tryggve' (unknown), 'Urho' (unknown), 'Tarso' (Lr26+other unknown), 'Aura' (unknown), 'Ilves' (none), 'Gunbo' and 'Ramiro'. 20% of cultivars had no noticeable resistance. The existing leaf rust virulence pattern likely reflects selection by the Lrs that have been deployed up to now.[11]
Notes
^"Agriculture". Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. 2010. Archived from
the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
^The claim can be verified by a comparison of national agricultural statistics from Canada, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. (Statistics Norway 2001, Statistics Canada 2007, Jordbruksverket 2008, USDA 2009 (p. 276), Federal State Statistics Service 2011 (pp. 219-221, 236-243))
^The difference is most pronounced for crop production and there are for example dairy farms in Norway north of the Finnish border in the
Teno river valley near the 70th parallel. (
photograph)
Jordbruksverket (2008).
"Jordbruksmarkens användning" [Agricultural land use] (in Swedish). Jordbruksverket. Archived from
the original on March 11, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
Statistics Canada (2007).
"Farms in the territories". 2006 Census of Agriculture. Statistics Canada. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
Tike (2010).
Farm Register 2009(PDF). Tike, Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Retrieved January 3, 2013.[permanent dead link]