?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Report+on+Organic+Food+and+Farming+in+Finland&rft.creator=Nyk%C3%83%C2%A4nen%2C+Arja&rft.creator=J%C3%83%C2%A4rvenp%C3%83%C2%A4%C3%83%C2%A4%2C+Markku&rft.subject=+Policy+environments+and+social+economy&rft.subject=Finland&rft.subject=+Research+communication+and+quality&rft.description=The+interest+in+research+on+organic+farming+grew+in+the+beginning+of+the+1980s.+In+1980%2C+an+extensive+seven-year-project+started+in+cooperation+between+several+institutions+investigating+the+possibility+to+improve+the+efficiency+of+nitrogen+fixation+and+utilisation+of+nitrogen+fertilisers+and+cow+manure.+Two+extensive+comparative+projects+began+in+1982%3A+(1)+conventional+and+organic+cropping+systems+at+Suitia%2C+University+of+Helsinki+and+(2)+self-sufficient+crop+rotation+and+cropping+system+by+the+Agricultural+Research+Centre+of+Finland+at+its+regional+research+stations.%0D%0A%0D%0AIn+September+1985%2C+the+Partala+Centre+for+Rural+Development+for+research+on+organic+farming+was+founded+in+Juva.+The+University+of+Helsinki%2C+Juva+municipality+and+some+other+organisations+belonged+to+this+Partala+association%2C+as+it+is+called+nowadays.+Partala+experimental+farm+was+integrated+into+the+MTT+Agricultural+Research+Centre+of+Finland+in+1990.+MTT+Partala+and+Karila+in+nearby+town+Mikkeli+were+joined+together+in+1996+to+the+MTT+Research+Station+of+Ecological+Production.%0D%0A%0D%0APartala+research+station+and+later+MTT%2FEcological+Production+has+coordinated+research+on+Organic+Food+and+Farming+in+Finland+since+1990.+It+has+launched+three+research+programmes%2C+which+have+covered+the+whole+organic+sector+from+soil+issues+to+food+processing+and+markets%2C+as+well+as+social+issues.+Professor+Artur+Granstedt+from+Sweden+was+nominated+as+professor+for+organic+farming+research+in+Partala+for+5+years+in+1993%2C+and+he+influenced+strongly+the+research+programmes+of+Organic+Food+and+Farming+at+that+time.%0D%0A%0D%0AMTT+Ecological+Production+established+%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%98The+Finnish+Research+Network+on+Organic+Agri-Food+Systems%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99+(ReNOAF)%2C+together+with+other+stakeholders+in+2000+and+has+coordinated+this+network+ever+since.+Funding+directed+especially+for+research+programmes+on+Organic+Food+and+Farming+(OF%26F)+was+addressed+for+the+first+time+in+Finland+in+2003%2C+when+the+Ministry+of+Agriculture+and+Forestry+launched+its+first+research+programme+on+Organic+Food+and+Farming%2C+based+on+the+priorities+prepared+in+the+ReNOAF.+National+research+seminars+were+also+organised+by+MTT+Ecological+Production.+%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+Partala+Research+Station+will+be+closed+down+in+September+2006.+The+lands+of+the+Partala+Research+Station+will+remain+under+organic+farming+research%2C+but+all+personnel+will+move+to+the+Mikkeli+Research+Station+to+work+in+close+connection+with+the+Ruralia+Institute+of+the+University+of+Helsinki.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+reason+for+this+decision+was+to+improve+efficiency+by+having+a+better+critical+mass+of+researchers+by+putting+more+people+to+work+together+and+by+concentrating+the+resources.%0D%0A%0D%0AAt+the+University+of+Helsinki%2C+the+Mikkeli+Institute+for+Rural+Research+and+Training+(Ruralia+Institute+Mikkeli+Unit)%2C+a+neighbour+of+MTT+Ecological+Production%2C+got+started+in+1988.+Organic+production+has+been+one+of+its+priorities+from+the+very+beginning.+It+has+concentrated+on+further+training+and+development+activities.+It+has%2C+for+example%2C+educated+all+advisors+and+teachers+for+organic+farming+since+1991.+Developing+activities+have+covered+the+processing+and+marketing+of+food%2C+plant+protection+and+animal+welfare.+In+2000%2C+the+only+academic+educational+programme+for+Organic+Food+and+Farming+was+started+there.+This+Eco+Studies+%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%93+project+has+been+under+way+at+the+Ruralia%0D%0AInstitute+Mikkeli+Unit+of+the+University+of+Helsinki+since+2001.+The+project+consists+of+scientific+research+and+university+level+study+entities.+Studies+in+the+organic+agri-food+systems+study+programme+are+available+for+university+students+and+through+the+Open+University+for+all+who+are+interested+in+the+field.+It+provides+opportunities+to+join+the+European+and+Nordic+study+programmes%2C+too.%0D%0AOrganic+production%2C+marketing+and+consumption+of+organic+products+are+also+studied+in+Finland+at+the+other+departments+of+the+MTT+Agrifood+Research+and+University+of+Helsinki%2C+the+University+of+Joensuu%2C+the+National+Consumer+Research+Centre%2C+the+VTT+Technical+Research+Centre%2C+the+National+Veterinary+and+Food+Research+Institute+and+the+Work+Efficiency+Institute.%0D%0A&rft.publisher=Bundesanstalt+f%C3%83%C2%BCr+Landwirtschaft+und+Ern%C3%83%C2%A4hrung+(BLE)+%2F+Federal+Agency+for+Agriculture+and+Food+BLE%2C+Bonn%2C+Germany&rft.contributor=Lange%2C+Stefan&rft.contributor=Williges%2C+Ute&rft.contributor=Saxena%2C+Shilpi&rft.contributor=Willer%2C+Helga&rft.date=2006&rft.type=Book+chapter&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Forgprints.org%2F8791%2F1%2Fnykaenen-2006-finland-research.pdf&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Forgprints.org%2F8791%2F2%2Ffinland-figure-1.pdf&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Forgprints.org%2F8791%2F3%2Ffinland-table-1.pdf&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Forgprints.org%2F8791%2F4%2Ffinland-table-2.pdf&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Forgprints.org%2F8791%2F6%2Ffinland-table-3.pdf&rft.identifier=Nyk%C3%83%C2%A4nen%2C+Arja+and+J%C3%83%C2%A4rvenp%C3%83%C2%A4%C3%83%C2%A4%2C+Markku+(2006)+Report+on+Organic+Food+and+Farming+in+Finland.+In%3A+Lange%2C+Stefan%3B+Williges%2C+Ute%3B+Saxena%2C+Shilpi+and+Willer%2C+Helga+(Eds.)+Research+in+Organic+Food+and+Farming.+Reports+on+organisation+and+conduction+of+research+programmes+in+11+European+countries%2C+Bundesanstalt+f%C3%83%C2%BCr+Landwirtschaft+und+Ern%C3%83%C2%A4hrung+(BLE)+%2F+Federal+Agency+for+Agriculture+and+Food+BLE%2C+Bonn%2C+Germany%2C+chapter+Finland%2C+pp.+45-62.&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Forgprints.org%2F8791%2F