What do farmers, facilitation, flexible teams, social media, and the sauna method have in common? As it turns out: successful innovation processes. This was one of the take home massages of the Finnish Cross Visit held in the AgriSpin project.

The Farmer’s Role

Like in several of the Cross Visits, the Finnish example clearly shows how important the farmer is for the innovation process. The farmer’s willingness, enthusiasm and drive are decisive for the start-up and outcome of the innovation process. Equally important are his visionary thinking, inventiveness and entrepreneurial skills. In short, the farmer must have an open mind to be able to innovate.

The Importance of Good Facilitation

The innovation process needs to be helped along, not only by the drive of the farmer but also by the right facilitator. A patient, even passionate, facilitator is able to create the environment most conducive to the innovation process in that he can ensure trust and cooperation between the parties involved.

Flexibility of Team Composition

Also, if the innovation support system has an integrated approach to the farm, the innovation process is more likely to succeed. In an integrated approach, the farm is seen as a holistic system. This allows the support system to compose more flexible advisory teams by granting them access to the support system’s own expert network.

Social Media

Social media also help the innovation process along. Openness to the idea of using a blog for instance, provides the farmer with room for reflection where interaction with the followers may support him in his decisions and create a channel for dissemination. In other words, openness towards using social media gives the farmer and the advisory service a lot of useful feedback from the audience.

The Sauna Method

As for regional particularities, the sauna method is a good example from Finland. The method is based on conducting business meetings in saunas. In sauna meetings, local actors meet informally on a regular basis to build trust with one another before doing business together. Everyone is more equal than in a more formal setting and can talk quite freely about their ideas and businesses.

In short, the sauna method is a good example of a warm network characterized by trust between local small businesses.

Read more about the Finnish Cross Visit.

Puzzlings

  • What are the risks of not having formal agreements as in the case of the pig farm Eerola where odor emissions are reduced?
  • What happens with the trust when “outsiders” join?
  • Finance – who is financing what?
  • Where does the revenue come from?
  • How would you sell the whole concept of the agroecological cluster of Kirkkikallio?
  • How about exchange of knowledge within the farmer community?
  • What is the role of farmers’ organisations in the innovation process?

Proposals

  • More involvement of independent advisory is needed
  • Diversification of the farm business to achieve more added value for the production is needed.
  • More publicity for the innovation support possibilities could be achieved through multiple communication channels.
  • External experts could be beneficial to the innovation process.
  • More proactivity in finding innovations is necessary.
  • Helping young farmers is key.

Video Spots From the Cross Visit In Finland
Environmental technology development at Eerola Farm in Finland
Feed Wall System development at Tikka Farm in Finland
Investment Support Team and Building Blog at Keisala Farm
Kirkkokallio Agroecological Concept