On the Kurika campus, Mainland Finland's rural development program and the most wonderful successes of the program period will be celebrated at the Maaseutugaala organized on Friday, September 30, 2022. The most impressive projects of the program period and the companies that utilized business support have been selected for the final in three different competition series, which are based on the three strategic priorities of the rural program.
In the Bioeconomy and agricultural sustainability series, the aerial carousel farming innovation, Hortimill, competes with four other candidates. The company has received trial and establishment support from Liiver for the development of the innovation.
- Great job, I'm excited to get to the finals, says the entrepreneur Arto Kujanpää.
The innovation of carousel cultivation radically changes the cultivation of low-growing plants, such as seedlings, berries, herbs, salads and mushrooms, and the possibilities of the industry. The system is the first of its kind in the entire world. It solves many farming problems and climate challenges and enables the digitization of food production and increasing the diversity of rural areas. The system can automate almost all farming operations, and it also enables farming operations to be carried out remotely. The carousel cultivation device also enables fast robotic picking for the first time, which can handle speed and quality even for a human.
- We have received a lot of encouragement. Not a single professional farmer has questioned the functionality of the system at the fair, says Kujanpää.
Thanks to the patented double structure greenhouse, energy costs are saved by 50–70 % compared to traditional greenhouse cultivation. The equipment also enables, for example, the utilization of agricultural production buildings removed from previous use for the cultivation of low-growing plants. In addition, it can replace the import of many fruits and vegetables, as the equipment extends the growing season and enables seedling cultivation.