Yara investing in agricultural research

The expansion of Yara’s Kotkaniemi research farm in Finland is an example of how important innovation and knowledge has become in agriculture. The Kotkaniemi trial farm became part of Yara’s R&D organization in January this year, but its roots date back several decades. Yara has been running trials there for 50 years, and it’s an important trial site for testing different farmer tools developed by Yara.

 

In June, farmers, politicians, researchers and distributors gathered to celebrate the renewal of the farm, that will now also function as a training center for Yara and our important value chain partners. The trial results from Kotkaniemi will be utilized for improving cultivation in the Nordic region.

 

 

Yara CEO & President, Svein Tore Holsether, underlined in his opening speech the need for innovation and knowledge to help farmers.

 

“Although a coffee farmer in Colombia and a wheat farmer in Finland might operate under different conditions, the similarities between the two are striking. The challenge for both can be summarized in two questions: How can farming become more profitable for the farmer? And how can farming become more sustainable?

 

“Both questions actually have the same answer: Knowledge and innovation. Because the innovations and knowledge that make farmers more profitable, will also make them more sustainable.

 

Knowledge and innovation drives the yield. And yield drives sustainability and profitability,” said Holsether.

 

 

During the ceremony, four scholarships were handed out to four students for their research on sustainable intensification.

 

The Finnish Minister for Agriculture and the Environment, Mr Kimmo Tiilikainen, drew in his speech the link between agricultural research and the impact on the environment.

 

“The activities of this research center and the research results it provides play an important role in the crop production of North Europe. Yara's research activities have always been proactive, looking far into the future. The current research projects, such as the development of precision fertilizer application and N-sensor technique, are also significant projects in view of the environment,” he said.