Join your colleagues in Helsinki – collaboration for healthy and carbon-rich agricultural soils in Northern Europe
3 days, colleagues from all over Northern Europe, 12 keynote speeches, 2 field trips, tens of posters, panel discussions, and countless opportunities to connect and gain new insights – all with the purpose of boosting soil carbon sequestration and scaling up regenerative, carbon-storing agriculture. That’s some of what’s offered in Helsinki on 6–8 June 2023 as the international “4 per 1000” Initiative holds its first Northern European regional meeting. Registration for the meeting is now open.
Many people and organisations around the world are working on increasing agricultural soil carbon sequestration for the multiple benefits it offers. The 1st ever Northern Europe “4 per 1000” Regional Meeting, co-organised by the Baltic Sea Action Group and the “4 per 1000” Initiative, invites researchers, farmers, NGOs, company representatives, and policymakers to work together.
The “4 per 1000” is an international initiative set in motion at the Paris climate summit in 2015. The initiative aims to increase soil carbon stocks by 0.4% or 4‰ annually, in the first 30–40 cm of soil. Increasing soil carbon sequestration mitigates climate change. In addition, it enhances soil health, and improves productivity and ecosystem resilience. It also helps us decrease nutrient loads to waterbodies such as the Baltic Sea.
“The purpose of the meeting is to boost agricultural soil carbon sequestration in all parts of Northern Europe,” says Paul Luu, Executive Secretary of the “4 per 1000” Initiative.
“We want to create a forum for sharing new scientific knowledge, help spark cooperation, and enable exchange between different actors who in their own way and on different levels all promote the transition towards regenerative, productive, highly resilient agriculture,” Luu explains.
Deep dives into three topics
In addition to the plenary sessions, the programme includes three parallel sessions, each focusing on a different topic. Participants can choose between sessions focusing on either the connections between soil health, climate, biodiversity, and water protection, or soil carbon monitoring, reporting, and verification, or agricultural organic soils. All sessions feature speakers from organisations that approach the subjects in a slightly different way.
“We believe connecting real-world farming, policy, research, and business with each other is vital if we are to succeed in our mission. That’s what we’ve kept in mind when designing the programme. We have worked to create a diverse programme featuring farmers, scientists, policymakers, and business representatives,” says Laura Höijer, Managing Director at Baltic Sea Action Group.
Three days full of encounters
The meeting is targeted to stakeholders from the following countries: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Ireland, United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Ukraine.
The conference takes place at Hilton Helsinki Kalastajatorppa, just a short tram ride from the city centre. Expect local and regeneratively farmed food, and ample opportunities to enjoy fresh, early-summer Nordic greenery – and perhaps a dip in the Baltic Sea.
Participation is completely free of charge. However, the organisers reserve the right to charge no-shows with the costs incurred (approx. 150 € per day). Participants may cancel their registration until 5 May 2023 without naming a reason completely free of charge. Participants may cancel any time due to illness.
The main financers of the meeting are the “Catch the Carbon” programme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland, the Strategic Research Council of the Academy of Finland, and the “4 per 1000” Initiative. It is also sponsored by Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation, EIT Food, and the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council.
