DeliSoil partners visit Finnish Living Lab and Lighthouse

DeliSoil  partners took part in a 2-day visit to Finland on the 3rd and 4th of September. During this trip the team were invited to the Yara Eco plant in Nokia, the Finnish Living Lab in Säkylä and Luke’s Biopaja Lighthouse site in Jokioinen.  

On the first day of the visit the team toured the ground-breaking Yara International Eco plant. The Yara Eco plant in Nokia is Yara International’s first plant for the production of organic-based fertilisers made by the utilisation of food waste side streams from slaughterhouse wastes. The plant manager, Tero Mäki, guided the team through the process of producing a consistently high-quality product as well as developing innovative new products. The team also learned about the sourcing of raw materials from local supply chains and the screening, blending and pelleting processes involved in the production of the fertiliser product marketed as ‘YaraSuna’ in Finland and exported to the Baltic countries. The visit sparked conversations between Yara and the team about the benefits of circularity, in particular circular fertilisers for farmers. 

Pyhäjärvi-instituutti and Apetit Oyj hosted the DeliSoil team at the Finnish Living Lab in Säkylä on the morning of the second day. Here the team attended a presentation on the activities of the Living Lab and the Apetit Company, and were introduced to the DeliSoil spring wheat pilot trial at the Räpi experimental farm. Later in the day the team visited the Luke Biopaja facilities in Jokioinen. Biopaja acts as a ‘Lighthouse’ for DeliSoil and runs field and laboratory trials for the development of safe and tailored soil improvers and fertilisers. This visit gave the team insights into the research activities carried out by Project Coordinator Luke and the progress they are making in the development of sustainable soil management innovations.  

This visit was a great opportunity to explore innovative circular approaches supporting healthier and more sustainable soils across Europe. It also served to deepen connections and collaboration amongst all participants. 

Many thanks to our hosts for their generous hospitality and the stimulating exchange of ideas! 

Photo credit: BETA Technological Center