Serie R: Successional Agroforestry Trip to Denmark, October 2022

The publication has been published in Novias own publication series, Serie R: Rapporter 2/2023. 

Preface

Hello dear reader! I’d like to warmly welcome you to my first article for Novia UAS. My name is Joshua Finch and I’m working for Novia as the Lill-Nägels Agroforestry Project manager.

The Lill-Nägels Agroforestry Pilot Project is an 8000m2 successional agroforestry project, which, among other goals, is aimed at utilizing phytoremediation to restore soil fertility on a degraded agricultural field. The project is generously funded by Stiftelsen Finlandssvenska Jordfondens and Novia University of Applied Sciences from June - December 2022 as an initial startup phase. The project’s location in Kirkkonummi, Finland, has been kindly made available by Rikard Korkman and his family farm. More information on the project is forthcoming on an Novia UAS webpage, this article will be updated with a link once it is online.

I am be reached for comment or inquiries at joshua.finch (at) novia.fi

Today I will share with you what I learned on a exceptional opportunity that arose through this collaboration: a sudden trip to Denmark where I got to work and learn side-by-side with Ernst Götsch for three days, a world renowned agroecologist and agroforestry specialist.

(Please note that the term “syntropic” will be put in quotations throughout this post because the usage of the term needs to be addressed, and will be, at the end of this article)

Photo: Walking windrows made by a double pass with the brush cutter; organizing and moving biomass produced on site makes for an honest production system. Credit: Joshua Finch