Kari Koppelmäki
Farmer on a small organic vegetable farm part of the Palopuro symbiosis. PhD Candidate at Wageningen University and researcher at Helsinki University with a focus on the integration of energy production in food production.
Finland
Symbiosis: an organic community in Finland creating a local circular economy with the ambition to become net exporters of both food and energy. The leading farm was named “Farmer of the Year of the Baltic Sea Region” by the World Wildlife Fund. Symbiosis is supported by the University of Helsinki and the SITRA fund.
Knehtilä is anorganic farm located in Hyvinkää in Southern Finland. Together a chicken house,vegetable farm, biogas company, food processing company and local entrepreneurs cooperate to form, Knehtilä farm, a multi-enterprise network called Palopuro Agroecological Symbiosis (AES). This multi-enterprise network produces local organic food while also recycling nutrients and producing renewable energy.
Knehtilä farm is 380 ha and produces cereals and buckwheat for food use and feed for the neighboring chicken house. Oats and buckwheat are processed into flakes, granola, and snacks. In the future an existing organic bakery will be moved to the farm.
AES is a net energy producer thanks to biogas production which started in 2019. Biomass from green manure, together with horse and chicken manure, is used for biogas production. The biogas is produced in a dry-anaerobic digesting biogas plant where it is purified into bio-methane, used on the farm and sold for cars. This is the first ever biogas plant on acrop farm in Finland.
Knehtilä has traditionally served as a venue for local food markets and other events and has invested in a farm café and restauran twith a meeting facility. The farm provides facilities for local artists and theater performances. Over 15.000 people visit the farm annually.
Farmer at Knehtilä. Agricultural Technician andLicenciate in Art. He is the 3rd chair of the Farmer´s Union. Received the WWF Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year Award in 2015.
Farmer on a small organic vegetable farm part of the Palopuro symbiosis. PhD Candidate at Wageningen University and researcher at Helsinki University with a focus on the integration of energy production in food production.
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