From wheat to lawns : urban expansion to agricultural lands in Finland from 2000 to 2018 and its implications to food security

Abstract: This thesis evaluates the extent of urban expansion on agricultural lands in Finland, its effects on the national agricultural output and the implications to national food security and sheds some light to the reasons of why agricultural land is converted to urban land in Finland. This complex issue was approached through mixed research methods. A GIS-based map overlay analysis using Corine Land Cover data for Finland for the years 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2018 was used for assessing the extend of urban expansion of agricultural lands and a policy document review was conducted to explore the reasons to this phenomenon. Supplementary statistical data form Finnish authorities was used to interpret, contrast, and evaluate the Corine Land Cover data and results. According to the analysis, significant areas of agricultural land have been lost to urbanization in the study period. Despite this, the hectarage of agricultural land in Finland has remained stable and there is no significant impact onthe national food security. Finnish legislation does not include agricultural land protection laws and it is customary in the country to zone new urban areas on peri urban agricultural lands leading to permanent loss of farming lands around urban centers. In conclusion, agricultural land is being lost continuously due to urban expansion in Finland even in the 21st century,when urban expansion is moderate compared to previous decades. The short-term effects to the national food security are negligible, but the long-term effects are unknown. Further research is needed to assess accumulative effects of urban expansion on agricultural lands and the future impacts of it in the face of the climate change and a rapidly changing geological climate.