22 innovative farmers were featured in the MTK Circular Economy Calendar published in December 2023, where they talked about their farms and the circular economy activities they are carrying out. The calendar aimed to bring the circular economy practices to a concrete level. The calendar spread both the Christmas spirit and awareness of environmental actions in agriculture.
The farmers who participated represented a wide range of production, from livestock producers to seed producers, and one wine producer was also involved. Many recurring themes were highlighted, such as the use of a diversified crop rotation and the use of manure, but there were also many unique inventions.
Farmers were united by their desire to use their imagination to optimise production. The importance of planning, both for the economy and for one’s own well-being, was also highlighted in several examples.
Farmers also talked about the economic impact of circular economy activities. Almost without exception, everyone reported that the activities had been profitable, in some cases not resulting in a direct increase in income, but in savings on purchases. Below are highlights of the circular economy activities included in the calendar.
Actions presented in the Christmas calendar
Circular activities in the field:
- Practising a diversified crop rotation
- Use of nitrogen fixing crops for fertilisation
- Use of deep rooted plants for soil improvement
- Purchase, hire and renovation of second-hand machinery
- Use of manure and compost for fertilisation and soil improvement
- Utilisation of root crops and catch crops
- Regenerative farming
- Using data to optimise field work
Other actions to promote the circular economy:
- Using renewable energy from solar and wind power
- Utilisation of side streams, such as cereal milling waste or forestry by-products, in a heating plant
- Waste reduction and accurate recycling
- Utilisation of straw and separated dry fraction from manure as bedding material
- Biogas plant: production of both energy and fertilisers, and improvement of self-sufficiency
- Use of recycled nutrients
- Use of bioenergy for heating in buildings
- Use of biogas or biodiesel in machinery
- Recycling and storage of agricultural plastics using an in-house compactor
- Careful planning using the circular economy to smooth out peaks in workload and everyday life
- Reuse and recycling of packaging
- ManPas sanitizer (innovation) for bedding, growing medium production and fertilisation
- Machine sharing and rental
- Provision of side streams, such as straw, to other producers or the food industry
The calendar was published daily in December 2023 on the MTK-Satakunta Facebook & Instagram accounts and on the KiertoaSuomesta.fi Facebook, Instagram ja LinkedIn accounts. You can find the circular economy calendar by scrolling to the December posts!
The social media calendar was created in cooperation between the TREASoURcE project of the MTK Central Federation and the MTK-Satakunta’s Muutosvoimaa tulevaan project.