Programme: NJF Nordic-Baltic workshop: Towards a viable, competitive and resilient agri-food sector

16 September 2025

8:45     Registration and coffee               

9:15     Opening session  

            Welcome and introduction, Jarkko Niemi, President of NJF

            Sami Kurki, University of Helsinki

             Nordic collaboration in agricultural research, Sofie Andersson, NKJ              

9:30     Invited talk: Food Security and Resilience in Estonia, Estonian Business School, Dr. Aleksandra Kekkonen, Senior Researcher

10:00   Assessing and strengthening resilience in agri-food supply systems, Karoliina Rimhanen, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) (flash presentation)

10:10   How local food systems can contribute to resilience in the Nordic and Baltic countries? Silvia Gaiani, University of Helsinki

10:30  Strengthening resilience in food sector through participatory processes, Johanna Leino, The Baltic Institute of Finland

10:50   Short break

11:00   Invited talk: The role of critical inputs in crisis preparedness – the case of Finnish food supply chain, Dr. Csaba Jansik, Senior Scientist, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)

11:30   The Nordic and Baltic countries play a major role in Europe’s growing media market — how can we respond to the challenges posed by the green transition? Johanna Kivioja, Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences

11:50   Knowledge needs to strengthen the role of bioresources in crisis preparedness and risk management, Lillian Øygarden, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research

12:10   Lunch break

13:10   Invited talk: What is the state of food security in Iceland? Are Icelandic food systems resilient if faced with crisis and how prepared are we? Dr. Ólafur Ögmundarson, Associate Professor, University of Iceland

13:50   Risk management and preparedness tools for small food business enterprises. Jarkko Leppälä, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)

14:10   Farm as a Common Workplace: Promoting Occupational Safety and Fluent Workflow in Multi-Professional Farms. Terhi Latvala, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) (flash presentation)

14:20   How to Assess Good Practices and Solutions at the Farm-level to Improve Performance and Resilience of European Equine Farms? First Experiences with the EUnetHorse Assessment Method. Leena Rantamäki-Lahtinen, University of Helsinki

14:40   Exploring the Competitive Potential of Animal Welfare in Finnish Food Exports: Insights from Expert Discussions. Katriina Heinola, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)

15:00  An analysis of strengths, weaknesses, risks, competitiveness and development prospects of livestock farming in Finland, Jarkko Niemi, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)

 15:20  Discussion and closing remarks

17-18 September 2025

Seinäjoki Food days (The program of Food Days is on a separate webpage. Please click here to see the program for 17-18 September)

Registration

The events are free of charge. Please register to the NJF workshop by using this form,

Registration to the Food Days is done separately at the Food Days website.