Towards zero-loss agriculture: addressing strawberry food loss in North Karelia, Finland

Authors

  • Oswald Sydd UEF

Abstract

Food loss poses multifaceted challenges for environmental sustainability, food security, and economic efficiency across agri-food systems. This study explores the spatially interrelated dimensions of food loss in the Finnish strawberry value chain, highlighting the intricate interactions and dynamics among various stakeholders and processes. It examines how multiple actors are embedded in regional agro-economies and the socio-material tensions that influence their practices. While each entity holds a different position within the system, they collectively confront a common challenge: the complex, interdependent nature of the Finnish strawberry value chain, which shapes their roles and strategies for addressing food loss. The study employs a qualitative, multi-scalar case study design of the North-Karelian strawberry value chain, grounded on semi-structured interviews, document analysis and field observations. The paper provides a nuanced understanding of how various institutional, infrastructural, and temporal complexities influence food loss outcomes. It highlights how these factors can either hinder or facilitate the advancement towards zero-loss agriculture trajectories. By providing a spatially sensitive perspective on economic stakeholder engagements, it highlights bottlenecks and offers potential solutions to effectively reduce food loss. The case illustrates how active engagement with these complexities is required to create strategic opportunities to develop more sustainable strawberry value chains that align with EU policy goals.

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Published

2025-12-19

Issue

Section

Research Papers

How to Cite

Sydd, O. (2025). Towards zero-loss agriculture: addressing strawberry food loss in North Karelia, Finland. Fennia - International Journal of Geography, 203(2), 214–231. https://fennia.journal.fi/article/view/160759