The Baltic Sea Farmer Award competition recognizes national winners and one regional winner from eleven countries within the Baltic Sea catchment. Each farmer has a unique and inspirational story to tell about the methods they have tried and successfully implemented to reduce nutrient runoff into the Baltic Sea.
Among the winners this year, the international jury has selected Sauli Brander, a Finnish organic crop farmer, as the regional winner and awarded him with the grand prize of 10,000 Euros for measures that range from maintaining built wetlands and planting intercrops to practising nutrient recycling with chicken manure.
The international jury is impressed by the diverse range of measures employed at the farm to reduce nutrient runoff, as well as by the farmers’ dedication to pursuing new strategies for sustainable and future-proof agriculture.
“This year’s dedicated farmers demonstrate that sustainable practices go beyond keeping nutrients in place,” says Markus Eerola from the international jury. “These practices also contribute to greater biodiversity, enhanced climate adaptability, and better land productivity.”
Today, farmers from across the Baltic region will be presented with the WWF Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year Award. The award recognizes the exemplary use of sustainable farming practices to reduce nutrient runoff to the Baltic Sea catchment.
“Sustainable agriculture has a critical role to play in combating the problem of eutrophication,” says Anu Suono, Manager of the Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year Award. “We need to keep working together as a region to reduce emissions so that the Baltic marine ecosystem can recover and stand a chance against other stressors like climate change.”
To learn more about this year’s winning farmers and the farming practices that make a difference for the Baltic Sea, visit our Stories page.