On diversity effects of alternative agricultural policy reforms in Finland : an agricultural sector modelling approach

Selostus: Maatalouspolitiikkauudistusten vaikutuksista pellonkäytön diversiteettiin

Energy and Dynamics of the solar agricultural robot "SolarSprayer"

The main objective of the present study was to design an agricultural robot, which work is based on the generation of the electricity by the solar panel. To achieve the proper operation of the robot according to the assumed working cycle the detailed design of the main equipment was made. By analysing the possible areas of implementation together with developments, the economic forecast was held. As a result a decision about possibility of such device working in agricultural sector was made and the probable topics of the further study were found out.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and Agroecology in Agricultural Production in the United States - A Comparative Analysis.

The world’s population is growing at a rapid rate and one of the primary problems of a growing is food supply. To ensure food supply and security, the biggest companies in the agricultural sector of the United States and all over the world have collaborated to produce genetically modified organisms, including crops, that have a tendency to increase yields and are speculated to reduce pesticide use. It’s a technology that is declared to have a multitude of benefits. During the same time period another set of practices has risen to the horizon by the name of agroecology. It spreads across many different sectors such as politics, sociology, environment, health and so on. Moreover, it involves primitive organic techniques that can be applied at farm level to enhance the performance of an ecosystem to effectively decrease the negative effect on environment and health of individuals while producing good quality foods. Since both the processes proclaim sustainable development, a natural question may come in mind that which one seems more favorable? During the course of this study, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and agroecology are compared within the sphere of social, environmental and health aspects. The results derived upon a comparative analysis of scientific literature tend to prove that GMOs pose a greater threat to the environment, health of individuals and the generalized social balance in the United States compared to agroecological practices. Economic indicators were not included in the study and more studies might be needed in the future to get a broader view on the subject.

EU -jäsenyyden vaikutukset Latvian, Puolan, Unkarin ja Slovenian maataloussektoreiden tuottavuuskehitykseen

Tässä pro gradu -tutkielmassa tarkastellaan EU -jäsenyyden vaikutuksia itälaajentumisen myötä liittyneiden maiden maatalouteen ja sen tuottavuuteen. Maatalouden kehitys kuvaa kohdemaiden talouksien kehitystä. Uusien jäsenten kehitys taas vaikuttaa koko Euroopan unionin toimintaan ja sen asemaan maailmanmarkkinoilla. Tutkielman teoriaosuus esittelee tuottavuuden, yhteisen maatalouspolitiikan ja lineaarisen regressioanalyysin teoriaa. Empiriaosuudessa esitellään neljä kohdemaata ja tarkastellaan regressioanalyysien avulla sitä kuinka Euroopan unionin jäsenyys on vaikuttanut näiden maiden maataloussektoreiden tuottavuuteen.

Transition management and the sustainable nutrients economy in the Netherlands; positioning paper

In this positioning paper transition management (TM) and the sustainable nutrient economy are addressed. We discuss TM from its scholarly origins in the 1990’s to its implementation as a comprehensive sector-wide policy program on sustainability in The Netherlands during the first decade of the 2000´s. Although the program was innovative and provoked a new approach to environmental policy and governance, the program at large failed to set the right conditions under which sustainable transition take place. Lessons from the Netherlands, both successful and less successful, are addressed in this positioning paper to inform Finnish governmental and knowledge institutes on how (not) to implement TM on environmental issues. When looking at sustainable nutrient economy the paper takes a historical view at how problems with nutrients (especially phosphates) were dealt with in the Netherlands during the post World War II era. This transition did not occur easily. In the agricultural sector environmental policies to prevent nutrient problems were not easily accepted, as large agricultural economic interests were at stake and the sector’s main actors were generally opposed to (radical) environmental transition. Currently, sustainable nutrient economy initiatives are starting to receive attention on the political agenda once again. In 2011 a sector- and chain-wide covenant was signed, showing that sustainable nutrient transition goals get commitment from stakeholders throughout the nutrient chain. We judge that TM provides useful elements that are applicable to Finnish governance modes to support sustainable nutrient economy transition. However, the Finnish government should be careful when implementing TM to prevent making the same mistakes the Dutch government made in previous years.

The impact of further tariff reduction on the EU sugar sector in the forthcoming multilateral round

Selostus: WTO:n kauppaneuvotteluissa esitettyjen tuontitullien alentamisvaihtoehtojen vaikutukset EU:n sokerimarkkinoihin

GIS analysis of change in an agricultural landscape in Central Finland

Selostus: Keskisuomalaisen maatalousmaiseman muutosten GIS-analyysi

Viruses and their significance in agricultural and horticultural crops in Finland

Selostus: Maatalous- ja puutarhakasveissa havaitut virukset ja niiden merkitys Suomessa

Reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy and agriculture in Finland

Selostus: Euroopan unionin yhteisen maatalouspolitiikan uudistaminen ja Suomen maatalous

Agricultural phosphorus and water quality : sources, transport and management

Selostus: Maatalous, fosfori ja veden laatu: alkuperä, kulkeutuminen ja vesistökuormituksen hallinta

Physical properties of afforested former agricultural peat soils in western Finland

Tiivistelmä: Metsitettyjen turvepeltojen maan fysikaaliset ominaisuudet