Academy of Finland funding for research into securing Finland's food supply 

The Academy of Finland has granted 20 million euros for the scientific study of crisis preparedness and security of supply. A total of 16 projects were funded. Professor Matti Kummu of Aalto University and Marketta Rinne of Natural Resources Institute Finland received funding for a joint research project that seeks solutions and recommendations for improving food security in the short and long term. 

The world is headed for more instability, owing to phenomena like climate change, global pandemics, shifts in global markets and geopolitical tensions. Finland is a part of the global food system and as such dependent on both food imports as well as imported feed, energy and other factors of domestic production. 

Kummu and Rinne intend to develop solutions to feed and other supply disruptions, examine the potential of vertical farming and aquaculture and study the effects of disruptions to the food supply in an effort to improve the adaptive capacity – or resilience – of related systems. 

'In a crisis, a compromised food supply threatens the maintenance of social peace, which makes the smooth functioning of food production and distribution absolutely crucial. Increasing the resilience of the food system and preparing for crises are already key challenges for society,' Kummu says.