Plant cultivation and plant breeding have a key role in both climate change mitigation and adaptation. In the future, new disruptive technologies such as vertical farming may reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food production and free up some of the surface area used to produce food for other uses, including restoration or afforestation.

Plant breeding, in turn, enables to increase crop yields and develop new varieties that are adapted to the changing environmental conditions. Expanding the breeding potential of sustainably produced arable crops opens up new opportunities and markets for producers and helps to replace products that are problematic from the perspective of the climate and other aspects of sustainable development.

As part of the package of climate measures under the Government Programme, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland will organise a morning webinar that will focus on new plant production technologies and opportunities for further processing. The key aim of the event is to showcase both the latest research knowledge and practical applications.

The webinar will be held in English.

Warm welcome!

Date & Time: Fri 22nd of April 8.30–10.00 a.m. (Helsinki time)

Place: Teams event - the webinar link will be send to the participants on the 21st of April.

Programme: Disruptive plant production technologies 

8.30    Opening words, Marjaana Suorsa, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland

8.35    Vertical farming: Bringing in new plants and optimizing lightning regimes according to electricity price, Titta Kotilainen, Senior scientist, Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE)

8.45    Translational plant biology: flavor tailoring of leafy greens, Saijaliisa Kangasjärvi, Associate Professor, University of Helsinki

8.55    Possibilities of indoor farming in Finland, Niina Kangas, CEO, Finnish Glasshouse Growers' Association

9.05    Commercial applications of vertical farming

Niko Kivioja, CEO, Netled

Robert Jordas, CEO, Robbes Lilla Trädgård

9.25    Genome editing and the Farm to Fork Strategy, Jessica Polfjärd, Member of the European Parliament (EPP, Sweden), coordinator in ENVI-committee on behalf of EPP

9.50    The future of genome editing and closing remarks, Sebastian Hielm, Food Safety Director, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland

10.00    Closure

Register to the event on the link below by 20th of April 2022 the latest. 

Welcome!