Lill-Nägels

We are delighted to be taking part in Agroforestry Open Weekend 2025 on Saturday, May 17th!

Lill-Nägels approaching mid-summer in 2024; drought conditions led us to allow the grass to grow in the alleys and a hard mowing was used to prevent seed head formation. Photo credit: Johan Ljungqvist, Multifoto Ab Oy, June 14th, 2024
Our farm

Our farm is a medium sized arable farm (80 ha) in southern Finland growing a variety of cereals. In addition to the agroforestry project, there is an established apple orchard with an adopt-your-own apple tree CSA program. The farm also has about 70 ha of forestry.

Our agroforestry
One of our successional agroforestry tree lines demonstrating the variable use of the space: on the left, we have a multispecies cover crop emerging after harvesting garlic; in the center we have stratified production and support species (the cherry is missing leaves due to a sap analysis test); and on the right we have a spring-sown cover crop of mostly buckwheat which grew ahead of garlic planned for the 2024-2025 season

Our agroforestry project is a pilot successional silvoarable agroforestry system. We wish to document a novel system that focuses on the farmer supporting biodiverse plant communities to see just how far biology can go to restore a degraded agroecosystem.

Novia University of Applied Sciences is the project owner and we have a website dedicated to the whole system (link). The website includes a Timeline feature that is like a running blog for the project so you can get all caught up (2024’s information is in the works)! The project manager, Joshua Finch, also posts on Instagram and Facebook with @Agroforestry_in_Nyland. Starting in 2024, we began our current agroforestry project called “Agroforestry in Nyland [Uusimaa]” which aims to help farmers across our region produce agroforestry case studies over the next three years, in addition to continuing to plan, monitor, and develop this site at Lill-Nägels.

Our projects are generously funded by the Finnish government, the European Union, Novia UAS, and, crucially, Jordfonden during our initial 1,5 years.

We aim to support biodiversity to restore soil fertility and profitable farming on our 8000 sq meter plot. As we do so, new opportunities for fresh fruit, berries, and some vegetables will become available directly to local consumers through citizen science initiatives.

Biodiverse cover crops prepare the way for garlic, support soil formation, pollinators, and provide a measure of weed control for the young trees.

The main plantings were completed in spring 2023 and we are now in our second full growing season for our trees & shrubs as well as the third round of garlic. Crucially, in 2025, you will begin to see the result of changes to our fertility management with the application of limestone, Polysulphate, imported spoiled silage bale mulch (for the trees), and the use of on-farm fertilizers & biologicals applied through drip irrigation as well as sprayers.

The pilot project is now home to:

  • Over 50 fruit trees (cherry, plum, pear, apple, peach)
  • More than 90 fruiting shrubs (currants, apricots)
  • 20 grape vines
  • In addition, garlic from self-saved cloves
  • The alleys and margins of the site include biodiverse cover crops, some of which are perennial

Our system has 12-meter wide alleys in which we are using biodiverse cover crops supported with foliar nutrients before switching to strip cropping of arable crops once the soil is sufficiently healthy to produce viable yields.

A three-quarters plan view of the site
how to find us

You will find us at Lill-Nägelsintie 48 A, 02420 Jorvas, Kirkkonummi, Uusimaa, Finland

Map showing parking, route to site, and public transport options.
agroforestry open weekend 2025

Over Agroforestry Open Weekend 2025 we will be open on Saturday, May 17th from 10:00-12:00 and again from 13:00-14:00.

There will be two chances for a guided tour: we will start at 10:10 and 13:10. The tour will last about one hour. We will walk through the system together, point out how it is going, what has changed since last year, and have discussions about agroforestry.

REGISTRATION

Registration page is now open. There is no fee.

facilities/refreshments

Light refreshments will be provided. Use of private restroom facilities can be arranged.

parking/access

This is a working farm with residencies around. Please see the map (above) for where to park your vehicle and how to access the site. Joshua will be present near the parking (yellow box) at 10 and 13. We will leave the parking area at 10 minutes past the hour.

If you are arriving from the road near the site (Hirsalavägen, blue lines on map), be aware that you will need to cross a small stream without a bridge to reach the site. Please wait for us just inside the fence in the staging area, near the equipment on the right at the top of the little rocky outcrop.

Please wear clothes and boots which can get dirty! You will need to cross fields which may still be quite wet this time of the year.

dogs

No pets please.

disability access

There is no infrastructure for easing access to the site for those with mobility difficulties. It is a 455 meter walk to the site from the parking area. Additionally, prepare to walk during the tour.

more information?

Joshua Finch
Email: joshua.finch (at) novia.fi

Project Website: https://www.novia.fi/en/nylandagroforestry/
Facebook: Agroforestry i Nyland
Instagram: agroforestry_in_nyland
YouTube: Agroforestry in Nyland