“If only fields could grow wild, fixing carbon into the soil would be so easy”, ponders Janne Rauhansuu, president of the Finnish Organic Association and a climate organic farmer from Pöytyä, South-Western Finland.
A recent study backs his view: quantity of soil organic carbon of an unmanaged meadow was found to exceed that of both organic and conventional farming systems. Janne finds that organic climate farming is a balancing act between producing healthy, nutritious food and reaching environmental objectives but that we should use all means necessary to sequestrate more carbon into soil. This is where organic farming is playing a big role.
The Rauhansuu farm has a five-year crop rotation. After two to three years of green manure fields are ploughed before a cereal or field mustard is sown. Janne uses cover crops and winter crops to avoid nutrient leaching from soil during winter.
In order to improve soil health of compacted clay soils Janne uses different combinations of soil improvement plants including vetches. According to his experience this gives a good start for the following summer crops. In addition, this enhances carbon sequestration into the soil.
Changing climate means more fluctuating weather patterns. Janne is the most concerned about unusually long dry periods, especially early summer when summer crops are sown and are the most sensitive to drought. Lack of rain means less growth and hence less food produced – and also less carbon sequestrated. Therefore, Janne believes that farmers of Northern Europe will start to irrigate fields in order to maintain food security. He reminds that Finland has ample freshwater resources that will prove necessary in the future.
A need for tools & research
Janne Rauhansuu suggests that we need more research on organic farming and its benefits. Another understudied topic are residues of farming chemicals in our environment – a legacy from past decades when information on their impacts was less available. He sees carbon farming as part of a holistic sustainable farming system. He believes that organic farming is the way forward and will eventually replace less environmentally sound practices.
The Finnish Organic Association (Luomuliitto) coordinates the OrganicClimateNET Project’s activities in Finland, and the Rauhansuu farm will be one of the lighthouse farms in Finland.
