Agroforestry advisory services at the intersection of agriculture and forestry in Finland

Abstract

Agroforestry is a land use system at the intersection of agricultural and forestry land uses. In Finland agricultural and forestry advisory services are in their own silos with agricultural advisory services being targeted to farmers and forestry advisory services targeted to forest owners. Whereas navigating purely agricultural and forestry advisory services is rather straightforward, the case is not the same for those who need advisory services in agroforestry. However, as agroforestry is a new, yet previously common land use practice in Finland, there is a need to have more targeted advisory services on it as opposed to having advisory services on conventional agriculture and forestry only. The Agroforestry Business Model Innovation Network (AF4EU) aims at promoting agroforestry in Europe through innovation driven interactive regional agroforestry innovation networks involving stakeholders from across the value chain in a multi-actor manner with Finland being one target country for it. In this study we explore perceptions of different stakeholders, namely farmers and advisors, on agroforestry advisory services in Finland focusing especially on advisory services on agroforestry related business models. Opportunities, barriers, and challenges that farmers associate with agroforestry and agroforestry related business models are explored. The data is collected through interviews and surveys targeted to stakeholders participating in the regional agroforestry innovation network in Finland. Besides farmers’ and advisors’ perceptions, we explore the regulatory framework for agroforestry in Finland in relation to developing agroforestry advisory services suited for local conditions. The results of this study bring new insights to policy makers, researchers, and advisors to develop advisory services on agroforestry in Finland and beyond, particularly in those regions where agroforestry is not among the mainstream land use practices.