Urban farming in Finland in for a boost thanks to EU funding

The practice will become even more widespread as the country continues its path towards sustainability

Rooftops can become a practical and important part of life in any European city according to scientists and officials – provided that they receive the appropriate support. Urban farming has been gaining steam all across the continent and it is precisely on the top of buildings where most of the action takes place.

Thanks to EU funding, provided under the European Regional and Development Fund, farming on rooftops will be substantially increased, paving the way for a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly society.

Making use of every inch of land

The European Union and its member states are committed to building circular and sustainable societies and to reducing carbon emissions. Thus, their support for different projects that advance these goals should come as no surprise.

One of the latest such initiatives is Finland’s CircularHoodFood project, part of the country’s 6Aika Strategy, which brings together six large cities, including Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Turku and Oulu.

While urban farming is already extremely popular in Finland, with citizens growing industrial amounts of food within their own households, CircularHoodFood will make the practice even easier to pick up and develop.

The project will pave the way for the growth of urban farming by developing guidelines and promoting sustainable practices for citizens, housing associations and property owners which should streamline he process and make it easier for everyone to take part in achieving their sustainability goals.

CircularHoodFood is funded entirely by the European Regional Development Fund, to the amount of 713 056 euros and is scheduled to conclude by December 2021.