Lill-Nägels

We are delighted to be taking part in Agroforestry Open Weekend 2026 on Sunday, 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
May 17, 2025. Evening of last year’s AFOW day, tree line 2 from headland. The impact of using spoiled silage is quite evident with 100% soil coverage in the tree lines. The pale straw highlights the two-meter wide tree beds. Late May is still early spring here and the role of rhubarb as a low-level specie for photosynthesis is clear. Light applications of calcium carbonate, sulphur, and polysulphate have only just begun to impact the soil at the time. The grassy alleys on either side (left and right) were tilled repeatedly over the growing season and are now moving into cropping according to plan.

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. In 2025, we began transitioning to a more robust and mainstream regenerative approach to soil fertility. Two full years of data and experiences showed us that our site was not capable of reliably providing the plants with enough calcium – though we had a surprising amount of success with some other nutrients whose input was restricted.

Novia University of Applied Sciences is the project owner and we have a website dedicated to the whole system (link). 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, Svenskakulturfonden, and Stiftelsen Finlandssvenska Jordfonden.

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.

June 27, 2025. A side view of a tree line’s fruit tree group, with sweet cherry, European plum, and European pear starting to grow despite the artificial, project imposed limits on fertility for RDI purposes. In addition there is rhubarb and currants, while willows act as early succession woody cover crops. The willows have started being pruned for the first time in winter 2025-2026.

The main plantings were completed in spring 2023 and we are now in our third full growing season for our trees & shrubs as well as the third round of garlic. This year 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. We have also invested in a capable 2-wheel tractor which will allow us to implement sinus mowing in the margins, which is well documented to improve pollinator habitat.

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
  • The margins of the site include biodiverse cover crops, which we hope to increase in diversity with the new mowing plan
  • The alleys were planted with winter wheat in autumn 2025: we intend to sow a summer planting in late May or early June as soil conditions improve.

Our system has 12-meter wide alleys which will allow for strip cropping of arable crops once the soil is sufficiently healthy to produce viable yields. In 2025, we were able to mechanically terminate most of the perennial weeds and and transitioning to cropping in 2026.

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 2026

We will be open on Sunday, May 17th. Sign up for one, or both events, as soon as we have the RSVP page ready. They will both be free of charge. For both events, you must arrive early so we can begin on time.

  • Workshop: Tree Planting & Spring Care
    • Join us as we plant a few replacement trees and look at the types of management needed in spring with our unique system. Irrigation, fertigation, foliar spraying, and even sinus mowing.
    • Number of spaces is limited. RSVP only.
    • Workshop will be in the morning, time TBD.
  • Tour: Learn more about the site’s development and changes without getting your hands dirty.
    • Tour will begin at 13:10 and last for about an hour.

REGISTRATION

Registration page will open as soon as final details are finished for the workshop.

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 or other Novia staff will be present near the parking (yellow box) 20 minutes before each event is set to start. The event will start in the field promptly at the given time.

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