Lappeenranta buys fiber for farmers to cut emissions more cheaply than through its own operations

The city of Lappeenranta is purchasing soil improvement fiber for local farmers, aiming to reduce agricultural climate emissions and nutrient runoff into waterways more cost-effectively than through municipal measures, according to Yle.

The fiber, a byproduct of the pulp industry known as zero fiber, is developed by the Finnish company Soilfood. It is applied to fields to increase organic matter, improve soil structure, and sequester carbon. The city has allocated approximately 40,000 euros to buy the fiber for several dozen hectares of farmland, with farmer selection underway.

Environmental coordinator Petri Kero said the city pursues emission reductions outside its own operations because it often achieves larger cuts per euro spent. “The city has ambitious emission reduction targets, but their realisation largely depends on other actors. We are investigating how we can effectively reduce emissions from other parties,” Kero told Yle.

Farmer Samuli Seppänen, who has used the fiber on his land in Joutseno for nearly a decade, said the soil has become looser and richer in earthworms. He seeks improved water retention and crumb structure, and he reports better yields, reduced fertiliser needs, and lower fuel consumption during tilling.

Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) research manager Kimmo Rasa stated that studies over three to five years show the fiber significantly increases microbial and small-organism activity in soil. On clay soils, it reduced suspended solids in runoff water by 30–65 percent and particulate phosphorus by 30–50 percent, Rasa said.

Without application as soil improver, the zero fiber is typically burned in pulp industry processes, releasing its carbon immediately into the atmosphere, according to the report.

Tags: climate, agriculture, Lappeenranta