Biodiversity Training

Growing need for biodiversity expertise 

Biodiversity has declined substantially, and intensive farming practices continue to accelerate this trend. For example, monocultures and the use of pesticides reduce pollinators, beneficial insects and plant diversity. 

Expectations for farmers’ biodiversity expertise are increasing through consumer demands and procurement criteria alike. At the same time, food security considerations underline the need to find functional alternatives to chemical inputs. However, farmers do not always have sufficient practical knowledge of what biodiversity means in practice or how it can be combined with productive and economically viable farming. 

The Biodiversity Training project builds on the work of the Maaneuvo and Maaneuvos projects, which trained farmers and advisers to develop their expertise in soil health. The main objective of the new project is to deepen farmers’ biodiversity competence, with a particular focus on the benefits biodiversity can deliver. 

A continuous learning model for biodiversity competence 

Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK) is piloting a continuous learning model within the project to strengthen biodiversity competence. The training equips farmers with the skills needed to become specialists in agricultural biodiversity. 

After the pilot phase, the study module will be integrated into HAMK’s open university of applied sciences offering as supplementary education for actors in the natural resources sector. The programme will be open to all and will comprise approximately 10 ECTS credits. 

Costs and field-level economic assessment of biodiversity measures 

The Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) will produce an economic assessment of biodiversity-supporting farming measures at field level. The analysis examines how practices such as flower strips and green manure leys affect gross margins per field, considering variable costs (such as seed and fertiliser), revenues (such as income from crop sales), and long-term effects, including yield levels and yield stability. 

In addition, the role of agricultural support schemes and other incentives in the economic feasibility of these measures will be assessed. To support farmers’ decision-making, example calculations will be developed to clearly illustrate the economic cause-and-effect relationships of biodiversity measures at field level. 

Developing training materials and project communications 

Baltic Sea Action Group will update and produce training materials based on the latest Carbon Action research. During the pilot training, clear infographics as well as short educational and social media videos will be created to support both teaching and communications. All materials will be published openly and made available for long-term use. 

The training themes will also be offered to the media to increase awareness of the benefits of strengthening biodiversity in agricultural landscapes among a wider audience. 

Timely knowledge benefits the entire food system 

The knowledge generated by the project will benefit not only farmers but the entire food system, including advisers, authorities, industry, and consumers. The project strengthens farmers’ ability to utilise biodiversity in their operations and supports responsible practices throughout the food value chain. 

As biodiversity competence increases at farm level, individual farms will be better equipped to anticipate and adapt to changing growing conditions. From the perspective of strengthening the sustainability of food production, the knowledge produced by the project is both essential and readily applicable.