Port of Call LAST UPDATE July 21, 2010
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June 11, 2010 Helsinki – Farming for the future
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Finland only recently became industrialised and still has more than 70 per cent of its forests.
The lush green pastures of Labby Farm mask the extreme weather conditions experienced by this Finnish community. Nestled just outside the nation's capital Helsinki, this gorgeous landscape of soft rolling hills and dense woodlands is home to some of the best farming practices in the world. In 2007, six like-minded people founded the Juurakko Cooperative and changed the Labby Farm to encourage biodynamic activity, a more sustainable method of farming. While the winters here are often brutal and dark, the land becomes a hive of activity in the summer. The extended hours of sunlight cause plants to grow at an astonishing rate and bountiful harvests are common.
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Jason Marshal, a co-founder of the Juurakko Cooperative, began working here eight years ago because he wanted to learn more about self-sufficient farming that does not use chemicals.

Farming practices have changed in recent years, with an emphasis on growing produce naturally with little impact on the environment. One of the best-known practices is organic farming, whereby plants are grown without the use of chemicals. Biodynamic agriculture takes this a step further by treating the farm as a living organism, with animals and plants making up a component of this collective. At the Labby Farm, the land is 'prepared' to encourage an abundant harvest, through unusual rituals such as burying cow horns and moose intestines in the ground. "It might sound strange but it really does have an effect on what we grow here," said Jason Marshal, one of the founders of the Juurakko Cooperative.
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About ten people work on Labby Farm including labourers, farmhands and cooks.
Labby Farm was established about 500 years ago and the oldest surviving building here dates back to 1860. It was once a cheese farm, but has evolved and since 1987 has had a focus on sustainable production, which has intensified since the Juurakko Cooperative was founded. There are many organic farms in Finland but only about ten where biodynamic practices are followed. Herds of cows and sheep occupy a 50 hectare field at Labby Farm and their manure is used to provide natural fertiliser. Emphasis is placed on the combining of crops and pastures with the grazing of these herds ensuring that the landscape is well looked after.
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Many vegetables from the farm were used for lunch including freshly picked salad leaves, cherry tomatoes, and eggplant.
Over a lunch almost entirely produced from ingredients grown at the farm, Peace Boat participants learnt how this type of farming is beneficial to the environment. Visiting this farm made participants consider where our food comes from, and what we can do to support communities which practice sustainable farming. The food we ate was zinging with flavour and participants devoured each juicy morsel with glee. Mr Marshal said that the food tasted this way because it had not been treated with chemicals at any stage of its preparation.
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These cherry tomato vines began growing in April and will produce a huge amount of ripe tomatoes towards the end of June.
The group took a tour of the two greenhouses that are the main source of food production at Labby Farm. Many of the vegetables found in supermarkets are grown using hydroponic set-ups where chemicals are fed into the water supply to encourage growth. "We don't use these chemicals here, or any type of herbicide to kill weeds," Mr Marshal said. One greenhouse is used to grow 25,000 small plants annually, such as chilis and cucumbers which are sold to the public in Helsinki. The other greenhouse is used for salad mixture, vegetables and herbs. Conditions inside are so fertile that more than 30 kilograms of cherry tomatoes are harvested every week for four months.
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Participants make dozens of Karalia pies which are usually eaten on festive occasions such as Christmas.
Through a series of lessons on how to work in a garden and bake bread, Peace Boat participants were able to gain a better understanding of how the farm operates. One group made Karalia pies, a type of traditional Finnish bread made with oats. Other participants visited a nearby field where they picked and tasted herbs such as birch, spruce and lemon palm. "We get great support from people in Helsinki who buy a lot of our products and fresh produce," said Mr Marshal. This farm is small compared to many of the commercial groups that supply produce to city-based supermarkets. But it is an important model that demonstrates how easy it is to grow plants in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.