Knehtilä organic farm and Palopuro symbiosis

An award-winning organic farm in Finland set up a food production network with neighbouring farms aiming to achieve energy and nutrient self-sufficiency.

Full Project description EN PDF icon (347.08 KB)
Project summary: 

Knehtilä Farm is focused on organic farming and in 2015 it won the WWF Baltic Sea region environmentally friendly farm competition. The farm is also at the centre of a cooperative food production network based on energy and nutrient self-sufficiency. This multi-enterprise network, located in Hyvinkää, is the first of its kind in Finland. It aims to produce local, organic food (e.g. oats) using bioenergy and recycled nutrients.
 

Project results: 

Knehtilä Farm has developed a network of several organic producers and processors. 
The farm has just opened a service station, where cars can be refuelled with organic biogas.
Biomass is produced from green manuring in Knehtilä’s organic crop rotation which is combined with hen manure and manure from the local horse stables. The nutrient-rich digestion residue from biogas production is then used as organic fertiliser and soil conditioner in the farm fields.