Finland

Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland

Pilot support: RWAC

Challenges: Climate change, food chain carbon footprint, small enterprises in the food sector, low extent of value added.

Strenghts: Public-private sector collaboration; clean raw materials, only few pesticides or medicine needed.

RRI needs: Renewable energy use; Carbon-sequestering production methods; Development of local food chains and further processing of raw materials; Increase of automation.

Barriers of SMEs /Industrial Actors: Enhance processing, develop automation/robotics expertise, optimize production-distribution models, data-driven management, address climate change impacts in food production.

What shapes Finland’s regional food systems?

This section shows key enabling and hindering dynamics in the Finnish food systems transformation, based on a systematic literature review comprising 75 white literature and policy documents.

Dimensions	What enables innovation	What challenges innovation
Political	Strong EU and national policy support (e.g. Horizon Europe) for sustainable food R&I International and cross-border collaboration enables knowledge exchange and policy learning	Regulatory complexity and unclear guidance across EU-national-local levels Policy inconsistencies create conflicting incentives for sustainable practices
Economic	Public subsidies and financial instruments support SMEs and pilots Growing consumer demand for sustainable, transparent, and local food products	Limited access to finance and short funding cycles for SMEs High upfront costs for advanced and circular technologies
Social	Community-driven initiatives and strong local knowledge networks High public awareness and willingness to support sustainable diets	Skill gaps and aging workforce especially in rural areas Cultural resistance to change traditional diets and practices
Technological	Advanced research, digital, and biotechnological capacity Digital platforms, circular economy solutions, and innovation hubs	Uneven access to technology among SMEs Fragmented data systems and lack of technical expertise

What do the key actors say?

This section summarizes key insights on barriers and enablers identified by local stakeholders representing civil society, industry, public authorities, and academia. The insights are based on 6 qualitative interviews carried out during the initial phase of the project.

CIVIL SOCIETY INDUSTRY

Fragmented multi-level governance and limited
advocacy capacity
Economic uncertainty, unstable budgets, and
weak market competitiveness
Misalignment between policy, public
perceptions, and agricultural realities
Limited data access constrains advocacy
Multi-stakeholder collaboration drives
transformation

INDUSTRY

Entrepreneurship-friendly and green transition policies
support innovation, but regulatory complexity and nonuniform standards create operational burdens
Slow public procurement and bureaucratic funding slow innovation
New distribution models and partnerships address
labour and market shifts
Digitalisation and automation improve efficiency

Academia research

Stable regional collaborations and strong industry ties enable applied, practice-oriented research
Short-term and fragmented funding complicates longterm planning and limits sustainable SME engagement
Educational programmes and research networks
strengthen innovation capacity and knowledge exchange
Technology development advances through
demonstration projects, but low SME participation remains
a bottleneck

PUBLIC AUTHORITY

EU funding plays a key role in enabling experimentation,
digitalisation, and sustainability initiatives
Fragmented regulations and rigid administrative procedures hinder implementation and small-actor participation
Workforce shortages and demographic decline,challenge long-term system capacity
Digital advisory platforms, precision agriculture, and
regional innovation projects support optimism around
future transition

Key reccomendations to accelerate the transition

The following section presents six key recommendations to accelerate the sustainable food systems transformation in Finland.

Simplify funding & bureaucracy
→ Provide micro-grants and
SME support for sustainable food pilots

Create regional food platforms
→ Develop food councils or living labs to align
municipalities, research, business, NGOs

Prioritise multi stakeholder collaborations over
short-term success
→ Reward experimentation, cross-sectoral learning
and multi-actor initiatives

Support intermediaries
→ Establish innovation brokers or local
champions to facilitating partnerships and
innovation

Build shared roadmaps
→ Visualize milestones and bridge policypractice
gaps

Innovate and simplify regulations
→ Support sector guidance, training, and
regulatory sandboxes for food innovation