Researchers asked 600 Finnish citizens what they would be willing to pay to ensure your food was coming from farms that promote biodiversity and mitigate climate change.
Results from the survey showed that an overwhelming 79% of participants would be willing to pay more for food that was sustainably farmed. The majority of participants reported they would be willing to pay a monthly sum of 16 Euros, or 228 Euros a year. This amounts to 245 Euros per hectare of Finnish farmland a year.
Currently, citizens pay 160 Euros a year in annual government subsidies for each hectare of organic farmland in Finland.
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Of the 21% who said they would not pay more for diversified cropping, half of those said they were unable to afford the added cost.
Ultimately, a system that relies on consumers to pay for more sustainable agriculture shouldn’t impoverish people, or create a hierarchy where only those who can afford it get good quality food.
A lot of people may be willing to loosen their purse strings to subsidize greener farming
Monocrop farming is becoming more common practice in Finland and all around the world. Monocrop farming can lead to a decline in soil quality and biodiversity as well as causing other problems. Diverse cropping on the other hand, can increase carbon sequestration in the soil, boost biodiversity, introduce new pollinators into the environment, and promote an increase in food production.
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