A farmer's view on the Baltic Sea - MTK

A <strong>farmer's</strong> <strong>view</strong>
on the Baltic Sea
Stories from
Baltic Sea islands

A <strong>farmer's</strong> <strong>view</strong> on
the Baltic Sea
Stories from Baltic Sea islands
Kaasinen, S. & Kulmala, A. (Eds.)
Original cover photo: Airi Kulmala
3

Summary
The purpose of the study was to find out about the farmers’ attitudes towards agriculture, the
Baltic Sea and motivation to change. The study was conducted in six Baltic Sea islands:
Bornholm, Gotland, Hiiumaa, Saaremaa, Åland and Öland. Five farmers per island were
inter<strong>view</strong>ed. The selection of farmers is not statistically representative and thus we can't draw
any statistical conclusions from the material, but it can still give us some insight on what
farmers on the islands think about different issues.
Based on the inter<strong>view</strong>s, farmers want to know that everybody around the Baltic Sea is
pulling their weight because if not, why should they themselves bother. They want that
farmers in all the countries in the region are doing their share to improve the environmental
situation of the Baltic Sea. Many thought that the role of agriculture as the main source of
nutrient leaching has been exaggerated and other sectors like boat traffic and wastewater
treatment should do more.
Majority of the inter<strong>view</strong>ed farmers thought that it is justified to have at least some
obligatory measures for farmers if they really reduce nutrient leaching. Only voluntary
measures would not be effective. Farmers also thought that they need support to make agrienvironmental
investments especially now when the economic situation in many farms is not
so good. However, the rules and the support should be equal in all Baltic Sea Region
countries so they would not distort competition.
To have the motivation to apply measures that reduce nutrient leaching, the farmers need to
know that the measures are really effective. Now when there is a lot of contradictory
information this is not always the case.
Half of the inter<strong>view</strong>ed farmers thought that it is not easy to find the knowledge of the
measures to reduce leaching and one third thought that it is not easy to find the right advice
so there is clearly a need for improvement.
One attempt to improve the situation is the Baltic Deal project. Well-working agrienvironmental
measures are presented in the project’s demo farms, A lot of information
about the measures itself and tools for advisory are published on Baltic Deal’s web page. It is
also important to share knowledge between countries because one measure that is in common
use in a certain country can be rather unknown in the other one.
The economic situation might quite often be so poor that farms do not have possibilities to
make agri-environmental investments or even use measures that do not need special
investments. Also often-changing rules complicate putting best agri-environmental practices
into work. The CAP reform and the planning of the next rural development program (incl.
agri-environmetal programs) are in progress right now. The policymakers should keep in
mind that when the farm economy is in good condition and regulations are not changing so
often the farmers have better possibilities to make agri-environmental investments for better
environmental quality.
5

Table of content
1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................7
2 The inter<strong>view</strong>ed farmers .............................................................................................8
3 Findings based on inter<strong>view</strong>s ....................................................................................10
3.1 FARMING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ISLANDS ...........................................................................10
3.2 THE FUTURE PROSPECTS AT THE FARMS ................................................................................10
3.3 STATUS OF THE BALTIC SEA .........................................................................................................11
3.4 DOES FARMING HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE BALTIC SEA ENVIRONMENT? ...................12
3.5 THE FARMER’S ROLE ......................................................................................................................14
3.6 CARROT OR STICK? .........................................................................................................................14
3.7 FINDING THE RIGHT KNOWLEDGE AND ADVICE ..................................................................17
4 Conclusions .................................................................................................................17
5 The B7 islands ............................................................................................................19
5.1 BORNHOLM .........................................................................................................................................19
5.2 GOTLAND .............................................................................................................................................26
5.3 HIIUMAA ..............................................................................................................................................31
5.4 RÜGEN...................................................................................................................................................33
5.5 SAAREMAA ..........................................................................................................................................35
5.6 ÅLAND ...................................................................................................................................................38
5.7 ÖLAND...................................................................................................................................................41
References ...............................................................................................................................45
Annex 1. The questionnaire ..................................................................................................47
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1 Introduction
The purpose of the study was to clarify the farmers’ values and attitudes as regards to the
Baltic Sea and the part agriculture plays, according to the farmers, in leaching of nutrients
into the Baltic Sea. The intention was also to test the theses that farmers wish to be included
in the management of the Baltic Sea environment and to have a wider freedom of choice
between instruments that can reduce leaching.
The study was conducted in six Baltic Sea islands: Bornholm, Gotland, Hiiumaa, Saaremaa,
Åland and Öland. The B7 islands are all depending on agriculture, even if it is in various
ways, and as they are situated in the middle of the Baltic Sea they are very interesting as
“study objects”.
The following three chapters tell about the inter<strong>view</strong>ed farmers and the results and findings
from the inter<strong>view</strong>s. More background information about the B7 islands can be found in the
last two chapters.
Photo: Airi Kulmala
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2 The inter<strong>view</strong>ed farmers
Five farmers per island in Bornholm, Gotland, Hiiumaa, Saaremaa, Åland and Öland were
inter<strong>view</strong>ed in summer 2011. No farmers from Rügen were inter<strong>view</strong>ed because Germany is
not a partner in the Baltic Deal project.
The selection of farmers is not statistically representative and thus we can't draw any
statistical conclusions from the material, but it could still give us some insight on what
farmers on the islands think about different issues. The inter<strong>view</strong>ed farmers are only shortly
described in the Table 1 to remain farmers anonymous. For comparison, the general
agricultural statistics of the islands are gathered in Table 2. You can learn more about
agriculture on the islands from chapter 5.
Table 1. Inter<strong>view</strong>ed farmers in Bornholm, Gotland, Hiiumaa, Saaremaa, Åland and Öland.
Island Bornholm Gotland Hiiumaa Saaremaa Åland Öland
Number of
inter<strong>view</strong>s
Number of
animal farms
5 5 5 5 5 5
4 3 3 4 4 4
Inter<strong>view</strong>ed
persons in the
farm:
men/women/
5 men 3 men /
2 couples
3 men /
1 woman /
1 couple
3 men /
1 woman /
1 couple
3 men /
2 women
3 men/
2 families
couple/family
Distribution
of part/full
time farms
1 part time/
4 full time
5 full time 5 full time 2 part time /
3 full time
1 part time /
4 full time
5 full time
Age of
inter<strong>view</strong>ed
persons
40-58 years
Average 49
28-58 years
Average 45
29-69 years
Average 47
39-62 years
Average 49
44-53 years
Average 50
18-65 years
Average 47
Number of
organic farms
1 1 and 1 partly 3 3 3 1
Farm size * 60-295 ha 150-440 ha 80-600 ha 20-1500 ha 6-64 ha 85-435 ha
*Farm size including also rented area and pasture.
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Table 2. Agriculture in Bornholm, Gotland, Hiiumaa, Saaremaa, Åland and Öland.
Island Bornholm Gotland Hiiumaa Saaremaa Åland Öland
Number of
farms
481* 1506 461 1357 535 720
Agricultural
area** / % of
all land area
34 083 ha /
55 %
109 534 ha /
35 %
15 578 ha /
25 %
54 734ha /
21 %
13 771 ha/
9 %
83 957 ha /
62 %
Number of
organic
farms
29 154 87 136 141 71
Cultivated
organic farm
area
1130 ha 8580 ha 7830 ha 11 144 ha 2813 ha 3231 ha
*Include only farms at 5 ha or more.
**Including pastures
The inter<strong>view</strong>s were made by the Baltic Deal project workers at the farms and followed the
form of a questionnaire (Annex 1). Also background information about the farm’s production
was asked.
As the number of farmers inter<strong>view</strong>ed on each islands was small, we could not have any
expectations on finding a statistically representative group. Our choice of farmers was still
based on the fact that we wanted active farmers with different branches of productions, a
group with different ages and sex represented and we wanted at least one farm on each island
to be an organic producer.
In Hiiumaa, Saaremaa Gotland, Öland and Åland, the choice of farmers was made with the
help of the local advisory or farmers’ federation organizations. In Bornholm, the Baltic Deal
worker doing the inter<strong>view</strong>s was also a worker of the local advisory organization and could
choose the farms based on her own knowledge.
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3 Findings based on inter<strong>view</strong>s
3.1 FARMING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ISLANDS
The farmers inter<strong>view</strong>ed found the opportunities for being a farmer very positive especially
in Åland, Gotland and Öland. Good climate and soils, short distances as well as close contact
to customers were regarded positive in a small island. Positive spirit among farmers was
something that the farmers on the Swedish islands mentioned and were happy about. The
products of the island have a good special brand, thought some farmers of Gotland and
Bornholm. The EU supports were generally regarded as a good thing for the farming in
Estonian islands. Finally, the farmer’s own activity was also seen as an important part of the
success.
The downsides of farming on an island were pretty much the same in all islands. There are
difficulties in the connections to mainland, e.g. when quickly needing spare parts, and
transportation costs are high. There can also be additional costs due to a lack of competition
because some companies have almost a monopoly in the area. It is also difficult to find more
cultivation land with a reasonable price in a restricted area. The farmers on Bornholm were
not happy that there are a lot of restrictive rules in Denmark concerning agriculture.
A few farmers said that “it is a lifestyle to be a farmer”. On the other hand, there was also a
comment “The production is nearly totally run by rules, not by professionalism and
biological factors. The pride to be a farmer is for quite a great part taken away”. These two
sentences describe the wide difference between the feelings for being a farmer.
3.2 THE FUTURE PROSPECTS AT THE FARMS
In these 30 farms, there was a lot of faith in the future. Nineteen farms believed that in five
years (in 2016) the economy at their farm will be better than today. Two farms believed that
their economy will be worse and the rest thought it to be the same as it is now.
Twenty farms planned to increase their production in the next five years. Two of these farms
were also planning a change in type of production. Seven farms thought that their production
will be the same in five years; one farm thought that the production will decrease and one
farm planned to cease the production. Besides increasing the amount produced there were
also other targets: find out subsidiary trades like tourism, farm store or wind mills, no bulk
products, and increase the degree of processing. Two farms were planning a generation
change.
The plans to continue and even increase the production as well as confidence in better
economy in the future in these farms gives positive signals about the farming although
there are a lot of economic and other pressures towards farms nowadays.
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3.3 STATUS OF THE BALTIC SEA
Most of the farmers believed that the status of the Baltic Sea in the part of the sea
where they live is ok. Only one farmer considered it bad and a few farmers thought it less
than ok. E.g. in Åland some farmers thought that the situation is different even in different
parts of the Åland islands.
24 of the 30 inter<strong>view</strong>ed said they were at least somewhat worried about the Baltic Sea
environment. The rest of the farmers were not worried because they thought that we can
solve the problem or that nature will take its course anyway. In all islands there were farmers
who thought that the situation has gone worse in the last ten years and those who thought that
it has become better. Some thought that the contradictory information given by different
sources makes it difficult to answer. If the farmers had their own concrete experiences about
how the situation has changed it was easier for them to answer.
Ten years is quite a short time when
considering large environmental
changes. One farmer described well
how difficult it is to affect the status of
the Baltic Sea: “It is like driving an oil
tanker. It takes a long time to stop and
to swing it”.
The farmers were asked about two
indicators of the status of the Baltic
Sea: algal blooms and anoxic sea
bottoms. The two phenomena are both
enhanced by nutrient loading but algal
blooming is the issue that is visible
and perhaps more often mentioned in
the media.
Photo:Airi Kulmala
The majority of the farmers thought
that algal blooms were a problem.
Many of the Finnish and Swedish
farmers were aware that this
phenomenon is typical to the Baltic
Sea but it has been enhanced by
human activities. They also told that
there are cycles of blooms and they
happen more often nowadays than
before.
On the other hand, one farmer told that his father remembers that the situation has been even
worse in the 1940’s. It might be also that when algae monitoring is now more active then we
know more about it. Some farmers also pointed out that the blooms itself is not the problem
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ut the real problem is the reason behind them. The blooming has negative effects e.g. on
tourism and grazing when animals cannot drink sea water. One farmer was asking why we do
not utilize algae somehow.
Lack of oxygen in the sea bottom is a serious problem, thought most farmers from Åland,
Gotland and Öland. However, this problem was not so well known as algal blooms and there
were some farmers that had not heard of this issue or had heard too little to give an opinion.
In the Estonian islands of Hiiumaa and Saaremaa, 8 of the 10 farmers inter<strong>view</strong>ed either had
not heard of this issue or did not think that it was a problem. This difference in awareness
and opinion could be linked to the fact that the largest areas of longer term anoxic sea
bottoms are in the middle of the Baltic Sea nearer to the Swedish islands than to the Estonian
ones (HELCOM 2009). Although anoxic sea bottoms weren’t a well-recognized problem by
Estonian farmers some of them said, however, that algal blooms are a problem in certain
areas but not in all bays.
These findings are in line with a survey made in all the Baltic Sea coastal countries in 2010,
where the Finns and the Swedes were the ones that were most worried about algal blooms
and lack of oxygen in sea bottoms (Baltic Survey 2010).
3.4 DOES FARMING HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE BALTIC SEA ENVIRONMENT?
All human activities have an effect on the Baltic Sea, also agriculture, was the opinion
of the majority, 26 out of the 30 inter<strong>view</strong>ed farmers. The Danish and the Estonian
farmers were most skeptical to the idea that leaching from agriculture affects the Baltic Sea.
Also the other farmers were not convinced about how much it affects. Many thought that
the role of agriculture in nutrient leaching has been overestimated. Farmers also pointed
out that farming has so much rules and legislations concerning the use of nutrients nowadays.
The farmers mentioned other sources of nutrients like wastewater treatment, boat traffic, big
cities and fish industry which they feel should also do their share in reducing nutrient
loading. These are issues that are often featured in the media when talking about nutrient
leaching. Three farmers from Åland also said that one of the causes for eutrophication is
aviation which is not commonly mentioned in this context. Flight traffic does produce NOx
emissions which are calculated to the airborne nitrogen emissions. According to HELCOM
(2005) the atmospheric deposition of nitrogen directly into the Baltic Sea was in 2000
roughly one quarter of all nitrogen deposited into the Baltic Sea. In addition to direct
deposition, a portion of the nitrogen deposited in the Baltic Sea catchment area will finally
end up in the sea via runoff from land. The contribution of air traffic to airborne nitrogen
emissions is however not separately mentioned or calculated.
Many of the farmers in Åland, Gotland, Öland and Bornholm thought that there is less
leaching from their countries and more from the Baltic States and Poland and that the
measures should be directed there. Many felt that they have done their share and now it is
time for the East European countries to act. They suspected that the others do not have the
same environmental requirements that they have. Some of these farmers from Åland, Gotland
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and Öland had some time ago seen the film “Dirty waters” which gives a rather gloomy
picture of manure handling e.g. in Russia.
Total waterborne phosphorus (Ptotal) inputs (in tons)
into the Baltic Sea in 2006 by country. Russia did not
report unmonitored areas. Note: The loads for Latvia,
Lithuania, Poland and Sweden also include
transboundary loads Source: HELCOM 2011
Total waterborne nitrogen (Ntotal) inputs (in
tons) into the Baltic Sea by country in 2006.
Note: The loads for Latvia, Lithuania, Poland
and Sweden also include transboundary loads.
Source: HELCOM 2011
All the inter<strong>view</strong>ed farmers from the Estonian islands thought that nutrient leaching
from agriculture is not a big problem in Estonia The reasons were that the fertilizer prices
are so high that farmers don’t have money to overuse them and that Estonia has strict
regulations in these issues. Some farmers said that nutrient leaching is not a problem in
Estonia anymore but it was in Soviet times.
In Bornholm, some farmers claimed that there has been too much focus on nitrogen leaching
when the real problem is phosphorus. The farmers have been influenced by a critical
movement among the Danish farmers called “Baeredygtigt Landbrug” that protests to the
new tighter regulations and claims that nitrogen leaching isn’t the real issue. Denmark has a
lot of regulation that aims to reduce mainly nitrogen leaching from agriculture. These
regulations include e.g. farm specific nitrogen fertilizer quotas and mandatory cultivation of
catch crops. The Danish farmer gets no extra financial compensation for this whereas in
Finland and Sweden e.g. the cultivation of catch crops is subsidized. In the Danish
inter<strong>view</strong>s, these mandatory requirements were criticized a lot.
13

3.5 THE FARMER’S ROLE
The farmers were also asked if their own farming affects the Baltic Sea environment. Most of
the farmers agreed that their farming has at least some effect - like all human activity around
the sea’s catchment area. Some Estonian farmers argued that their effect is positive when
their cattle graze the coastal meadows. By contrast, none of the farmers from Bornholm
thought that their farming has an effect on the Baltic Sea environment. Also, it was
mentioned that sea streams transport nutrients from one place to other and it is difficult to
know their origin and affect them.
Most farmers said that they as a farmer play a role in improving the Baltic Sea
environment. Also, all farmers thought that they already use practices and measures that
reduce the leaching of nutrient to the Baltic Sea. One farmer couldn’t name any specific
measure but mentioned that their farming is resource efficient in general.
Constructed wetland is a measure that some of the
inter<strong>view</strong>ed farmers had chosen to reduce leaching of
nutrients to the Baltic Sea. Photo: Airi Kulmala
Examples of good practices and
measures that the farmers named
were manure storages, manure
spreading techniques and timing,
controlled drainage, good
drainage, phosphorus traps, plant
cover in winter, spring
ploughing, buffer zones, nutrient
balances, catch crops, green
fertilization, organic or
integrated production, soil
mapping, leaf analyzes to know
plants’ need of nutrients,
fertilization based on expected
not hoped yields, wetlands,
irrigation dams, and no-till
farming and in Sweden taking
part in Focus on nutrients
project.
3.6 CARROT OR STICK?
The majority of the inter<strong>view</strong>ed farmers, 23 agreed and 5 agreed to some extent, with
the statement “The measures have to be obligatory to reduce nutrient leaching
effectively”. Also most of the farmers who didn’t completely agree thought that there is need
for both stick and carrot or that there should be obligatory but still flexible rules.
14

“If it helps to prevent pollution, then they (measures) should be obligatory for all”, said one
farmer and “Not too much patronizing, but if we want results, rules will be needed”, said
another.
The arguments to support the notion of at least some obligatory rules were that if there are no
rules “there will be too many that do not bother” and that having same rules for all makes the
situation more equal. Especially, the farmers wanted that farmers from all countries make an
effort and that the rules are same for all. “Measures have to be obligatory in all countries
around the Baltic Sea.”
Furthermore, almost all farmers thought that farmers need to be paid for the
environmental benefits they produce. “It is nowadays so tight in primary production that
there is no room for any extra costs.” This can be done either in form of subsidies or even
preferably in form of better price for agricultural products. “If I get paid for my work and
measures it feels like an incentive to do more.” On the other hand, one farmer said that “I
think farmers should do it because they really want to do well for environment and not
because you can get money for it”. He thought that some farmers just ask support but don’t
follow the rules for the support.
24 out of 30 farmers were interested in learning more about agri-environmental measures to
reduce leaching. Some also answered that they are maybe interested to learn more. Some of
the ones who were interested said that it is not only to improve the Baltic Sea environment
but they are interested in measures that would also improve the financial situation of their
farm.
Manure handling is a measure on which the farmers were planning to
invest. Covered manure storage reduces losses of nitrogen. Photo: Airi
Kulmala
15

In the next five years, 17 out of 30 farmers were planning to introduce practices and
measures which reduce leaching at their farm. All but one of the Estonian farmers were
planning to do so. They have plans concerning e.g. manure handling, livestock buildings and
feeding places, drilling or organic farming. Most of the farmers from Bornholm were
planning to do so only if there will be new regulations that demand it because they have done
so much already. One third of the farmers thought that it will be necessary in the next five
years to invest in agri-environmental measures to reduce leaching. Most of these farmers
were Estonian.
The farmers were asked what has until now kept them from doing more to reduce leaching
and given four alternatives (Table 3). The farmers could choose more than one alternative
and they could also give another explanation. Most commonly mentioned in all other islands
except for Bornholm was lack of possibilities for investments. In Bornholm, the most
common answer was lack of technology. Other given explanations were lack of interest,
bureaucracy or that the farmer has done what is possible or there is no need.
Table 3. What has until now kept you from doing more to reduce leaching? The farmers were
given four alternatives or they could give their own explanation. It was possible to choose
more than one alternative.
What has until now kept
you from doing more to
reduce leaching?
Bornholm Gotland Hiiumaa Saaremaa Åland Öland Total
Lack of knowledge 1 1 1 2 1 6
Lack of environmental
advice
Lack of possibilities for
investments
2 1 2 1 6
1 3 4 3 3 2 16
Lack of technology 3 1 2 1 1 1 9
The farmers were also asked what could make them do (even) more to reduce leaching and
given the same four alternatives (Table 4). Again “better possibilities for investments” was
the most common choice followed by new technology. Other reasons mentioned by the
farmers were political will to make it possible to use nutrients according to the crops’ needs,
support rules that are not changing all the time, better economic gain from the measures,
theme evenings and better legislation. One farmer also thought that “advisors should talk
about the possible measures in positive ways and should have more competence in
environmental issues.” Some farmers also said that there is no need for further measures in
their farms.
16

Table 4. What can make you do (even) more to reduce leaching? The farmers were given
four alternatives or they could give their own explanation. It was possible to choose more
than one alternative.
What can make you do
(even) more to reduce
leaching?
Bornholm Gotland Hiiumaa Saaremaa Åland Öland Total
More knowledge 2 2 1 3 1 9
More environmental
advice
Better possibilities for
investments
New environmental
technology
2 1 2 2 2 9
1 4 3 3 3 1 15
2 2 2 2 3 3 14
3.7 FINDING THE RIGHT KNOWLEDGE AND ADVICE
Around half of the farmers thought that it is easy for them to find the knowledge they need
about environmental measures to reduce leaching. The other half said that it is not so easy to
find it, to have time to find it or to know what to make of it. “Many measures have
contradictory effects. There is not an easy answer. It is difficult to see the whole
picture”, one farmer described the situation. Although there is information available the
question is also how it can be put into practice at farm level. Besides environmental aspects
also e.g. farm economy needs to be kept in mind.
Two thirds of the farmers thought that it is easy or quite easy to find the advice they need
about agri-environmental measures to reduce leaching. But finally “it is the farm that has to
make the decisions and to live with them”.
4 Conclusions
The farmers want to know that everybody around the Baltic Sea is pulling their weight
because if not, why should they themselves bother. They want that farmers in all the
countries in the region are doing their share to improve the environmental situation of the
Baltic Sea. Many thought that the role of agriculture as the main source of nutrient leaching
has been exaggerated and other sectors like boat traffic and wastewater treatment should do
more.
Majority of the inter<strong>view</strong>ed farmers thought that it is justified to have at least some
obligatory measures for farmers if they really reduce nutrient leaching. Only voluntary
17

measures would not be effective. Farmers also thought that they need support to make agrienvironmental
investments especially now when the economic situation in many farms is not
so good. However, the rules and the support should be equal in all Baltic Sea Region
countries so they would not distort competition.
To have the motivation to do measures that reduce nutrient leaching, the farmers need to
know that the measures they do are really effective. Now when there is a lot of contradictory
information this is not always the case.
Half of the inter<strong>view</strong>ed farmers thought that it is not easy to find the knowledge of the
measures to reduce leaching and one third thought that it is not easy to find the right advice
so there is clearly a need for improvement.
One attempt to improve the situation is the Baltic Deal project. Well-working agrienvironmental
measures are presented in the project’s demo farms, A lot of information
about the measures itself and tools for advisory are published on Baltic Deal’s web page. It is
also important to share knowledge between countries because one measure that is in common
use in a certain country can be rather unknown in the other one.
The economic situation might quite often be so poor that farms do not have possibilities to
make agri-environmental investments or even use measures that do not need special
investments. Also often-changing rules complicate putting best agri-environmental practices
into work. The CAP reform and the planning of the next rural development program (incl.
agri-environmetal programs) are in progress right now. The policymakers should keep in
mind that when the farm economy is in good condition and regulations are not changing so
often the farmers have better possibilities to make agri-environmental investments for better
environmental quality.
18

5 The B7 islands
The B7 islands are the seven largest
islands in the Baltic Sea: Bornholm
(Denmark), Gotland (Sweden), Hiiumaa
(Estonia), Rügen (Germany), Saaremaa
(Estonia), Åland (Finland) and Öland
(Sweden).
The Baltic Deal inter<strong>view</strong>s were done on
six islands but all seven islands are shortly
introduced in the following chapters.
The islands have been cooperating in B7
Baltic Islands Network since 1989. The
network aims to promote the strategic
goals of the islands (http://www.b7.org/).
Background map: HELCOM Map and Data Service
2011
Table 5. General information about the B7
islands.
Island Bornholm Gotland Hiiumaa Rügen Saaremaa Åland Öland
Country Denmark Sweden Estonia Germany Estonia Finland Sweden
Population 42 000 57 000 11 087 73 500 39 231 28 007 24 698
Area km 2 588 3 140 989 974 2 922 1 553 1 344
Biggest town Rønne Visby Kärdla Bergen Kuressaare Mariehamn Färjestaden
5.1 BORNHOLM
General information
Bornholm´s 588 km 2 area resembles a crooked square jutting up like a horst from the floor of
the Baltic Sea. The coastline is 158 km long. The distance from the rocky “Hammeren” in the
north, and to the sandy beach “Dueodde” in the south is 40 km as the crow flies. The highest
point is in the middle of the Bornholm in the forest “Almindingen” (6 000 ha), and is 162 m
above sea level.
The closest Danish coast is 135 km to the west. Poland is 100 km to the southeast, Rügen in
Germany is 90 km to the southeast, and Sweden is only 40 km to the northwest.
The history of Bornholm is closely related to the location in the middle of the Baltic Sea.
There have been quite a lot of archaeological findings on Bornholm compared to the rest of
19

Denmark, and these findings as well as the historical monuments tell the story about war and
peace in the Baltic Region and of cultural and business exchanges from the Stone Age until
today. Shipping and trade were equally historically important.
In the 1650s, Bornholm was offered to Sweden by the Danish king and was Swedish for a
few years. During the 2 nd World War, Bornholm was occupied first by Germany, then by the
Soviet Union until 1946.
Bornholm has no villages. Since ancient time, the settlements have primarily consisted of
scattered, single farms and houses that were often placed in rows. Several farms are old
family farms.
Most of the towns on Bornholm are located at the west coast, the northeast coast and the east
coast because of the deep sea, which historically has given good possibilities for the many
small harbours around the coast. The towns have low buildings, and in the old parts of the
towns, the houses are small and build together. Rønne is the largest town on Bornholm where
e.g. a great part of the administration of the municipality is located.
Jersey from Bornholm at Østerlars round church and the castle ruin “Hammershus”
from the middle age. Photos: Olav Vivild
20

The Regional Municipality
Bornholm is one regional municipality called Bornholms
Regionskommune. The Regional Municipality of Bornholm was
formed in 2003 by the five former municipalities. The mayor´s
office is located in Rønne.
Three largest towns are Rønne (13 000 inhabitants), Nexø and
Aakirkeby. The challenges of Bornholm, and of the municipality,
are related to the distance from the mainland, and are among others
unemployment and migration of the young people, in particular.
Economy
Nexø has traditionally been a centre for the fishery in the Baltic Sea. Fishery and shipping
used to be an important part of the employment on Bornholm but reduced fish stocks and
increasing competition from other countries in the Baltic Region have necessitated scrapping
of a great part of the fishing fleet. Today only one fish processing company is left. Its
administration is placed on Bornholm as the company has moved the production plants to
Poland, Lithuania and China.
Small and medium enterprises dominate crafts and industries on Bornholm. The use of
geological resources in granite quarry and stoneware industries was of great importance
earlier on. Today, only a few granite quarries are left. The handicrafts have a proud tradition
on Bornholm and it has the highest density of art-craft workers in Denmark.
Since the late 1800s, tourism has been of great importance to the income of Bornholm. On
Bornholm, there are about 500,000 overnight stays per year, and thereby quite a few hotels,
hostels and campsites are located on the island.
There are several possibilities to get to and from Bornholm. A combined passenger and cargo
ferry has daily departures for Køge (Denmark) and Ystad (Sweden), weekly for Sassnitz
(Germany) and a passenger ferry for Simrishamn (Sweden). During summer it’s possible to
go by ferry to Kolobrzeg (Poland). The Airport of Bornholm, 5 km from Rønne, has daily
flights to Copenhagen.
21

Nature
Bornholm has a temperate coastal climate.
Bornholm is climatically more similar to
Öland and Gotland than to the rest of
Denmark. The Baltic Sea makes spring on
Bornholm quite cold, whereas it ensures
the island quite a warm autumn. Thereby,
spring on Bornholm usually arrives about
two weeks later than in the rest of
Denmark, but equally there is a long
“Indian Summer” in August-September
which means that plants like fig and
mulberry, common further south, ripen on
Bornholm.
On average, the rainfall is less on
Bornholm than in the rest of Denmark. In
return the sun shines more hours in the
eastern part of Bornholm and the small
islands “Ertholmene” than in the rest of
Denmark.
Scottish Highland Cattle at the rift valley
“Ekkodalen” in Almindingen. Photo: Annette
Holmenlund
There are three basic types of coastlines
on Bornholm: rocks, dunes and cliffs. The
rocky coast is located in the northern part,
and dunes and cliffs in the southern part.
The varied Bornholm landscape has many different biospheres as rift valleys, rocky pastures,
heath, forests, ponds, marshes, meadows, etc. Several of the biospheres are found on
Bornholm as the only place in Denmark. Today, more than two-thirds of the island consists
of cultivated farmland in rotation. Bornholm´s soil (mostly clay) and climate are favourable
for farming.
There are also Natura 2000 areas on Bornholm. Two special protected areas for birds and 11
special areas of conservation for habitat, of which 3 are areas in the sea, have been appointed
on Bornholm. Furthermore, Ertholmene to the northeast of Bornholm is designated Ramsar
area.
Agriculture
Compared to Denmark as a whole, Bornholm accounts for approximately 1 % of the
agricultural area, nearly 1 % of the milk production and nearly 2 % of the pork production.
Furthermore, there are 3 producers of chicken on Bornholm.
22

Harvesting in august 2011 near Østerlars at the east coast of Bornholm. Photo:
Elisabeth Falk
Plant production
The land is grown with grain (barley and wheat), grass seed, rape, peas, maize and grass.
Only a small area is grown with potatoes for consumption. There is no production of sugar
beets and only a very small commercial production of vegetables and fruits.
Crops are cultivated on 34 083 ha (55 % of the total area of Bornholm). Grain is cultivated
on 20 000 ha. The annual harvesting amounts to 150 000 tonnes of grain of which 90 % is
used for feed.
An area of 2 000 ha is cultivated with roughage: grass, maize and a few places beets. Most of
the livestock producers also have crop production – partly because it is a legal requirement to
have land in case you have livestock and thereby produce manure, partly because you
thereby produce the feed for their own animals.
From 1 500 to 2 000 ha is grown with grass seed, and a lot of seeds are exported. The climate
on Bornholm is very suitable for white clover because of the late spring.
23

Animal husbandry
The pig industry has seen a dramatic decline in the number of producers: from 300 in 2002,
to the present 121 producers. Despite this, the pig production has increased slightly during
the last 5 years but the number of sows is slightly declining. Also the number of piglet
producers has equally declined being 50 in 2011. The pigs are mainly fed by grain produced
locally (75 %). The producers of slaughter pigs deliver about 465 000 slaughter pigs annually
to Danish Crown. The pigs are being processed locally and are then exported.
Whereas the number of dairy cows has been quite stable during the last years, the number of
milk producers has decreased during the last decade as a consequence of the structural
change: in year 2000, Bornholm had 97 milk producers and today only 44 milk producers are
left. The number of dairy cows is approximately 5 500 and the annual delivery is 47 000 tons
of milk to the local dairy, St. Clemens. This is about 1 % of the total Danish milk production.
To meet the demand for dairy products, the dairy equally gets milk from Sweden. Most of the
milk is used for cheese production, mostly blue cheese which is exported worldwide.
There are several small herds of beef cattle on Bornholm, both crosses between beef cattle
and dairy cows and pure race beef cattle. But less than a handful of farms have more than 30
suckler cows.
There are several
small herds of
sheep. Most of the
sheep breeders are
part time farmers
and only a few
farms have more
than 30 sheep.
There are many
horses and ponies
for riding, sport
and small-scale
breeding, but it has
almost no
importance in the
agricultural
production.
Sheep doing landscaping in the area”Aarsdale Ret” (Natura 2000 area).
Photo: Jørgen Hansen
4 to 6 farmers have cattle or sheep that are being used for landscaping. These farmers are
specialised in professional landscaping. The biggest of these is a sheep breeder, and his 600
sheep mainly maintain public nature areas.
24

Environmental technology
In order to meet the strict Danish environmental legislation, many local farmers have
invested in environmental technology. Many of the nature areas of the island are sensitive to
ammonia and as a consequence, a few slurry acidification plants and several slurry cooling
plants have been established in
order to reduce the ammonia
emission from the housings and
reuse waste heat.
Craftsmen installing heat pipes for slurry cooling in a
new barn on Bornholm. Photo: Kim Kure
25
Two farms have invested in slurry
acidification that reduces the
ammonia emission from the
housings strongly. Several farmers
have covered their slurry tanks to
reduce the ammonia emission and
many of the new housings have
floors reducing the ammonia
emission. In the fields, too, steps
are taken to reduce the ammonia
emission when spreading slurry.
The farmers protect the ground
water and the surface water (streams and lakes) by a restrictive appliance of fertilizer, by
sowing catch crops and by choosing crop rotation thereby minimizing the leaching.
The biogas plant west of Aakirkeby receives about 100 000 tonnes of slurry from cattle,
slurry fibres from pigs and manure from poultry every year, and supply with maize silage.
The plant makes energy for district heating and is a part of the Regional Municipality´s plan
for “Green Energy”. Furthermore, the nutrients, especially phosphorus, can be redistributed,
which is a benefit for the environment. The biogas plant is owned by the local electricity
company.
Organic Farming
Only a relatively small part of the total agricultural production on Bornholm is organic. The
organically cultivated area is about 1 130 hectare (3.3 % of the agricultural area). Bornholm
has 29 organic farmers and the number is stable. One local farmer has organic milk
production and one more is converting his production but there is no local organic pig
farmer. One farmer has, however, started production of outdoor pigs. Finally, a few small
producers of vegetables and fruits are organic.
Local production of food products
Bornholm has succeeded in creating local productions in areas such as rape oil production,
production of the so called “Bornholm Rooster”, dairy products from the local dairy,

exquisite flour from the local mill, and lately the “Bornholm Pig” all of them products that
are being sold in supermarkets chains nationwide.
The local mill, Valsemøllen in Aakirkeby, mills flour from local grain. It is as well the
traditional sorts like wheat and barley as for instance the specialty varieties durum wheat,
spelled and Öland wheat. Also several nationwide supermarket chains sell flour from
Valsemøllen. Since 2003, Lehnsgaard has produced oil from local rapeseed. Lehnsgaard also
has a production of mustard.
The “Bornholm pig” is a local product produced by 8 farmers on Bornholm. The pigs have
more space, bedding every day, short transport and to ensure a better quality of the meat, the
pig has a higher weight when slaughtered and the meat ripens for more days at the
slaughterhouse to make it tenderer. The Bornholm pig is slaughtered locally but is sold
nationwide.
Bornholm also has its own “Bornholm Rooster” produced by 3 farmers on Bornholm. The
roosters live longer than chicken for consumption normally do and they are slaughtered
locally at Born Poultry.
5.2 GOTLAND
General information
Gotland is the biggest island in the Baltic Sea, situated roughly 80 km off the coast of
southern mainland Sweden.
57 000 people live year round on the island, a number that changes dramatically during the
summer as Gotland is one of Sweden’s most popular summer destinations. Beautiful beaches,
rich history and a welcoming climate contribute to the island’s popularity.
Visby was one of the biggest and most important trading towns of the Baltic region in
medieval times. Visby has the most well preserved medieval curtain wall of all of northern
Europe, almost three and a half kilometers long. The narrow alleys in the old town are lined
with buildings and church ruins that call to mind Visby’s age of greatness in the 13 th century.
The Hanseatic town of Visby is a World Heritage since 1995. There are also 92 medieval
churches on Gotland which are still in use.
Visby is the only city on the island and has 22 593 habitants. There are six villages with 800 -
1 700 inhabitants (Hemse, Slite, Klintehamn, Vibble, Romakloster and Fårösund) and 10
smaller villages with 260 - 930 inhabitants. In the countryside, some of the houses are
gathered in “church villages” and the rest of the houses especially the farms are spread out in
the landscape.
26

Public transportation to
Gotland is either by ferry
or airplane. By ferry, one
can travel from
Oskarshamn or
Nynäshanm.
Donner’s Square (Donnersplats) in the Hanseatic town of Visby.
Photo: Region Gotland
There are 2 - 8 departures
depending on the season
and it takes about three
hours to reach the
mainland Sweden. By
airplane, there are many
daily flights and the
travel time is around 40
minutes.
Environmental
technology
In 2010, there were 155 wind turbines on the island, generating 225 GWh of electricity,
which equates to 25 % of the island’s power. Näsudden, Gotlands largest wind farm, is
currently undergoing generational shift. Smaller turbines are being replaced by larger and
more powerful turbines, which will produce four times more electricity as the old ones.
The island’s first biogas station opened in Visby 2010, the initiative is a joint venture
between the private and public sectors. The biogas is produced by Visby’s wastewater
treatment plant. A second biogas plant where gas from manure and plant material is planned
to be produced is under planning in Bro.
The private drains are being upgraded in many areas. The project “Clear Water” surveys all
the islands 14 000 drains with a <strong>view</strong> to having them repaired and approved if they are in bad
condition.
Municipality
Historically Gotland Municipality was founded in 1971
through a merge between several small municipalities on the
island. In 2011, Gotland Municipality changed its name to
Region Gotland. Region Gotland has three main tasks:
municipal operations, county council operations and regional
development. The change to Region Gotland was both a
statement and a clarification of the duties that the municipality
had, and now Region Gotland has. The decision to change the
name from municipality to region also made the democratic situation more explicit. Citizens
vote for a regional council, with much broader responsibilities than a municipal council
normally has.
27

The Regional Executive Board is the committee which monitors the operations of the other
committees and the business conducted through corporations. The Regional Executive board
also manages the finances, executes the decisions of the Regional Council and prepares or
comments on matters before the council. The committees are responsible for the operations
as directed by the Regional Council and frequently as regulated by law. The Regional
Council is the “parliament” of Region Gotland and the Regional Executive Board comprises
its “government”.
Economy
Around 26 000 people are in gainful employment on Gotland. Important industries include
tourism and agriculture/food, along with the cement, limestone and timber industries.
However, other service industries are increasing in significance. Several smaller
manufacturing businesses focusing on quality and design are emerging, especially in
furniture-making. Gotland has the highest gainful employment in agriculture, forestry,
hunting and fishing compared to the rest of Sweden, 5,9 % compared with 1,8 %.
The share of jobs depending on the agricultural sector is 31 %. Processing agricultural
products is an important and expanding business in Gotland. Today there are 50 - 70 small
scale food producing companies on the island.
Gotland has one of the highest business densities in the country, with around 8 000
companies. The rate of creation of new businesses is also among the highest in Sweden, and
has increased steadily since 2001. In 2010, 473 businesses were started.
2010 was a record year for travel to and from Gotland. A total of almost 2 million people
traveled to and from Gotland by ferry or air. 560 000 guest nights were registered for 2010.
Many tourists have their own “summer house” on the island and many rents from private
persons.
Nature
Gotland has about 800 km of coastline. The north end of the island is barren and rocky, while
the southern part is greener, with deciduous forests and wooded meadows. Some of the most
striking natural experiences on Gotland include orchid fields, limestone heaths, beaches and
idyllic meadows. Gotland also have “raukar” – exotic stone pillars shaped by the wind, wild
Gotland russ ponies and vibrant small-scale cultural landscapes with walled pastures and lots
of sheep that keep the lands open with their grazing.
28

Coastline of the island Stora Karlsö. Guillemots and razorbills nest here each year (left). Landscape
in Sundre (right). Photos: Sara Almqvist
There are plenty of other unique places off the coast of Gotland. To the north lies the island
of Gotska Sandön, Gotland’s only national park, with long sandy beaches and an intriguing,
dramatic history. The area of the national park is 3 655 ha land and 4 438 ha water. To the
west lie the islands of Stora and Lilla Karlsö, both unique in Sweden. Lilla Karlsö, the
smaller island, is a nature reserve and home to giant colonies of auks. Thousands of pairs of
guillemots, razorbills and cormorants also nest there every year. Stora Karlsö is called ‘the
only bird cliff in the Baltic’. Some 8 000 pairs of guillemots and razorbills nest there each
year.
Gotland is an island created from a
coral reef. The bedrock of the island
was formed during the Silurian age,
which started 400 million years ago.
During this era, vast quantities of
sand, mud and calcareous silt
collected on the bottom, which
gradually hardened into marl slate.
Then various types of limestone and
sandstone formed (sandstone is only
found on southernmost Gotland).
Gotlandic limestone has many traces
of this era – fossils of trilobites
(extinct crustaceans), squid, corals
and sea lilies. Of Sweden’s 46 orchid
species 36 species are found at
Gotland.
“Blåeld” at Sysneudd in Östergarn. Photo: Sara
Almqvist
There are 117 nature conservation
areas with a total area of about 86 700 ha. There are 131 Natura 2000 areas with an area
29

about 200 000 ha. Of those Natura 2000 areas 129 are established as habitat sites and 30
areas are bird sites (some areas are overlapping).
Agriculture
In 2010, there were 1 506 commercial farms of various sizes with more than 2 ha of land.
That is a drop of 1 223 farms since 1979. Over the past 30 years, the average size of the
farms has risen from 30.5 ha to 57 ha (average size is 37 ha in the whole Sweden). The total
amount of cultivated area is 109 534 ha.
Gotland accounts for 3,3 % of
Sweden’s total arable land. Among
the crops grown on Gotland, forage
crops are the largest and most
important, although cereals and
oilseed crops are also popular. Crops
for which Gotland has greatest
market share and is best known are
root vegetables such as potatoes,
onions and carrots plus other early
spring crops such as asparagus. 3.5%
of all potatoes in Sweden are grown
on Gotland. Today Gotlandic food
can be found everywhere in Sweden.
The primary market for Gotland’s
600 farms raise cattle in Gotland. Photo: Sara Almqvist food is the Mälardalen region. 600
farms raise cattle, of which 258 have
dairy herds. 57 keep pigs and 70 rear chickens. 395 farms rear a combined total of 65 034
sheep on Gotland. Lamb production is seeing most growth.
Organically grown crops are becoming increasingly prominent in all types of farming in
Gotland. There are 154 organic animal farms in the island. In 2010, Gotland accounted for
22.3% of the KRAV (certified organic) land for potato fields in Sweden (185 ha of a total
820 ha).
30

5.3 HIIUMAA
General information
Hiiumaa is the second largest island in Estonia situated 22 km
from the mainland. The island of Hiiumaa and a number of
small islets cover an area of more than 1 000 km². The island
has a population of 10 495 inhabitants.
There are five local municipalities on Hiiumaa. The biggest
town is Kärdla with 4200 inhabitants located on the northeast
coast of Hiiumaa. It is the administrative and economic center
where most of the government offices and utilities are located.
Economy
Most recent trends in Hiiumaa economy have been towards smaller farms and tourism. Also
Service sector is widening due to development of tourism. Small industry, such as plastics
and medical instruments are essential part of the island’s economy. Creation of IT based jobs
is important for offering new possibilities for young people to remain in island.
The history of Kõpu lighthouse dates back over
500 years to Hansaetic times.Photo: Tuuli
Tammla
Fishing is an important source of livelihood in
Hiiumaa.Photo: Tuuli Tammla
31

In the primary sector, which includes fishing, farming and forestry, about 800 people are
employed. The biggest employer in the island is also the biggest fishing company in Estonia.
The processing industries adding value to raw materials employ about 850 people.
Ice road connects Hiiumaa
to mainland Estonia during
winter time.Photo: Jarek
Jõepera
There are two ways of getting to the island – by boat or by plane. The plane operates from
Tallinn and the boat from Rohuküla harbour on the west coast of Estonia
Nature
The coastal area around Hiiumaa is shallow and full of
reefs. The best known of them is Hiiumadal in the
northwest, where hundreds of ships have wrecked.
There are about 200 small islands and partly exposed
reefs around Hiiumaa
All over the island the limestone is covered by loose
deposits from the last ice age and by marine sediments,
beach ridges and dunes from the different phases of the
Baltic Sea. The landscape provides examples of pine
forests, mixed spruce- and deciduous forests, swampy
thickets and juniper shrubbery, coastal meadows and
dunes, peat moors and bogs.
32
Sääretirp peninsula in Hiiumaa.
Photo: Lembit Michelson

Hiiumaa has a rich flora
and fauna including lynx,
wild boars and deer among
others.Photo: Jarek Jõepera
One can find about 1 000 species of higher plants in the rich flora of Hiiumaa. Over 50 rare
species are protected. Elks, red deer, roe deer, foxes, lynx and wild boars live in the forests.
The bird fauna of the island is also worth mentioning. Among nesting or migrating birds one
can see black storks, golden eagles, cranes, avocets, swans, etc.
Agriculture
There is 15 578 ha of agricultural land on Hiiumaa. Most of it is permanent grassland, 9 379
ha, or other temporary grassland, 1872 ha. Spring cereals are grown on 728 ha barley being
the most popular crop. The sown area for winter cereals is 199 ha. Spring rape is grown on
719 ha.
There are 461 farms on Hiiumaa and the number of farms has been in the decline in the past
ten years. 293 farms have animals. Most of them are cattle and dairy farms or sheep farms.
Many farms have also poultry. There are also farms with goats, horses, pigs and doe-rabbits.
5.4 RÜGEN
General information
With an area of 974 sq. km (including the island Hiddensee) Rügen is Germany's largest
island and has at present 73 500 inhabitants. The island is linked to the mainland by a bridge
called Rügendamm (2.5 km). Rügen's urban centre is Bergen, a town of 15 000 inhabitants.
Economy
At present appr. 23 000 people are regularly employed, most of them in the service sector
including tourism, construction, trade, manufacturing or administration. International ferry
traffic terminals are located at Sassnitz and Mukran. The island's growing number of visitors
33

eached 1 300 000 in 2002. Among the oldest and most traditional bathing resorts are
Sassnitz (town), Lohme, Göhren, Sellin and Baabe. Prosperous small and medium-sized
enterprises, environmentally-friendly tourism as well as an effective service sector will
continue to be the economic base. Agriculture and forestry have always existed on the island.
The continuation of the traditional fishery located in Sassnitz and the exploitation of chalk
resources shall be perpetuated and Rügen´s plans predict expanding the ferry port Mukran as
Gateway to the north. Rügen's major future target is to harmonise all spheres of life and in
this sense to become a model region.
Nature
The 80 million year old chalk massif of the island's bedrock rises to a height of 161 m at the
Jasmund peninsula. Along with the hilly surface, the flat areas and the permanent change
between land and water makes a landscape rich in contrasts (15 % forest, 61 % agricultural
area).
The wide sandy beaches, the shady avenues of trees, and the many hiking paths, still existing
on Rügen, or the experience of the chalk coast with the majestic Königsstuhl (117 m), the
Flint Fields at the Narrow Heath - a geological phenomenon - the magic beauty of Southeast,
to mention only a few details of Rügen's unique landscape panorama, which are worth
protecting even in a European dimension. Special emphasis is placed upon the environment
and nature conservation with 2 national parks, 1 biosphere preserve, 32 nature reserves and 3
nature conservation areas, the total protected area comprises 527 km².
Agriculture
The cultivated area on Rügen is 62 191 ha and there area 215 farms on the island (year
2010). The most popular crop is winter wheat which is cultivated on one third of the
cultivation area followed by winter rape and winter barley. Around 11 000 ha of the
cultivated are is permanent pasture. The average farm size is 289 ha.
The most common forms of animal husbandry are beef cattle, dairy and poultry (chicken,
geese, ducks) production and there are also many horse farms. There are also sheep, goat and
pig farms.
There are 24 organic farms on the island (11.2 % of farms). They cultivate an area of 2 733
ha (4.4 % of cultivation area).
34

5.5 SAAREMAA
General information
Saaremaa is the second biggest island in the Baltic Sea and the
biggest island of Estonia with an area of 2 668 km². Saaremaa is
situated close to the western coast of the mainland of Estonia. The
nearest point on the mainland is the harbour of Virtsu, 8 km away.
The island has a population of around 35,000 inhabitants.
Kuressaare, the capital of the island of Saaremaa, has 16 122
inhabitants. Besides Kuressaare, there are 15 other municipalities
on the island.
Medieval castle in Kuressaare. Photo: Toomas Tuul
Economy
A great majority of
country people work in
agriculture. Fishing and
fish processing are
becoming more important
branches of economy.
Saaremaa has an old
tradition of boat-building.
Today both wooden and
plastic boats are
manufactured.
Tourism is becoming increasingly important to the economy of
Saaremaa. Kuressaare town is one of the main attractions.Photo:
Toomas Tuul
Also electronics industry is
becoming more important
in the island’s economy.
Tourism will have an
important role in economy
in the near future.
35

To get to Saaremaa there are flight connections from Tallinn and also a ferry connection
from Virtsu to the island of Muhu which is linked by a bridge to Saaremaa.
Nature
Because of its mild maritime climate and soil rich in lime, Saaremaa has very rich flora and
fauna. Over two hundred local species have received special protection status. The most
famous endemic species is Rhinanthus osiliensis which is a rare little flower growing mostly
in spring fens.
A number of Roman snails, rare butterflies and beautiful orchids can be found in Saaremaa.
Each year hundreds of thousands of migratory birds, a great number of which are under
protection, e.g. barnacle goose and mute swan, visit Saaremaa. Besides Viidumae and
Vilsandi Nature Reserves, there are over two hundred single nature objects under protection -
parks, high cliffs, large trees, erratic boulders and unique marshy lowlands. The meteorite
crater at Kaali is the biggest in Europe.
Over half of Saaremaa is
covered with forests. They
are mostly mixed forests
but in some areas one can
also find broad-leaved
(deciduous), which are
relict plant communities of
former milder climatic
periods.
The same is true for alvars
(limestone areas covered
with thin soil and stunted
vegetation). Once a typical
and exclusive landscape
element in Saaremaa
alvars are now in decline.
Nature conservation
planning for Saaremaa
now includes protection of
the largest and most unique alvar areas.
Agriculture
The biggest one of the Kaali meteorite craters is 16 meters in depth
and 110 meters in diametre.Photo: Jarek Jõepera
The agricultural area in Saaremaa is 54 734 ha. Most of it is permanent grassland, 29 233 ha.
There is also 5994 ha of other temporary grassland. The sown area for spring cereals is 4831
ha. The most popular spring cereal is barley. Winter cereals are cultivated in an area of 1761
ha. Also spring rape is a popular crop with 2062 ha.
36

Windmills are
important symbols
of Saaremaa.
Photo: J. Nilson
There are 1357 farms on Saaremaa. The number of farms has declined in the past ten years
with over half.
There are animals on 857 farms. Most of the farms are cattle, dairy and sheep farms. Also
many farms have poultry. Some farms have also pigs, horses, goats and doe-rabbits.
Two famous Saaremaa products are bread and beer. The sour-sweet rye bread has long
traditions. A great number of islanders consider the pan bread Borodino the real Saaremaa's
bread. This bread was given the quality mark Appreciated Estonian Taste. The tradition of
industrial beer brewing and home-brewed beer are also very long in Saaremaa.
37

5.6 ÅLAND
General information
Åland is an autonomous region of Finland. It is composed of 6 757 islands and has a total
land area of 1 553 km 2 . Around 60 islands are inhabited and 90 % of the population lives in
the largest island called “the mainland Åland”. The population was 28 007 in the end of the
year 2010. The biggest municipality is Mariehamn where over 40 % of the population lives.
Åland is located between
Sweden and Finland. When
Finland became independent
from Russia in 1917, Åland,
which had been a part of the
Grand Duchy of Finland in
the Russian times, would
have wanted to join Sweden
instead of staying as a part
of Finland.
The argument between
Finland, Åland and Sweden
was finally solved with a
decision of the League of the
Nations in 1921. Åland
became an autonomous
Åland is composed of thousands of islands. Photo: Airi Kulmala
region of Finland and was
guaranteed its Swedish
culture, language, local customs and a self-governance. Still today, unlike in the mainland
Finland, the only official language of Åland is Swedish. The League of the Nations also
decided that Åland was demilitarized so it would not become a military threat to Sweden.
Governance
companies
Åland’s autonomy gives it the right to pass laws in areas relating
to the internal affairs of the region and to exercise its own
budgetary power. Åland’s Parliament is known as lagtinget. The
Parliament appoints the regional Åland Government,
landskapsregeringen. The Åland Parliament has the right to pass
legislation on for example education, health and medical care and
the environment, postal communication and radio and television.
Åland has its own stamp and publicly owned radio and television
In matters where the Åland Parliament does not have law-making powers, Finnish State law
applies in the same way as in other parts of the country. These are for example most areas of
38

civil and criminal law, state taxation and foreign affairs. To ensure that Åland’s interests are
taken into account also in these areas, Åland has a representative in the Finnish Parliament.
Although foreign affairs are not transferred to Åland under the Autonomy Act, but remains
under the control of the Finnish Government, Åland has a degree of influence on
international treaties.
A speciality in Åland is “the right of domicile” which is a requirement for the right to vote
and stand for election in elections to the Parliament, own and or be in possession of real
property in Åland and conduct a business in Åland. The limitation in the right to own or be in
possession of real property was introduced to ensure that the land would remain in the hands
of the local population. It does not prevent people from settling in the Åland Islands. Right of
domicile is acquired at birth if it is possessed by either parent. Immigrants who have lived in
Åland for five years and have an adequate knowledge of Swedish may apply for the status,
provided they are Finnish citizens. Those who have lived outside Åland for more than five
years lose their right of domicile.
Economy
In the summer, many visitors arrive in their own
sailing or motorboats, and stay in one of Åland’s 20
or so guest harbors. Photo: Airi Kulmala
Åland has a large number of businesses
and a long entrepreneurial tradition.
There are currently about 2 100
businesses and more than 90 per cent
have less than 10 employees, and many
are one-man businesses. Åland’s
economy is dominated by the service
sector, particularly the maritime
industry, which accounts for 40 per cent
of local GDP. As Åland’s shipping
companies offer more workplaces than
the local labor market is able to provide,
the crews also include many people
living in other parts of Finland and
Sweden.
There has been a strong growth of
tourism in Åland and the ferry services
to the island are frequent. In the last few years the number of arrivals has been around 2.2
million. Most return the same day, but about 530 000 guest nights are registered each year.
The tourist attractions in Åland include the city of Mariehamn and the castle of Kastelholm
built in the 16 th century.
Despite their relatively modest returns, the primary industries, agriculture and fishing, play a
vital role as providers of raw produce for the food industry in the archipelago and other
sparsely populated areas. The share of primary industries is around five per cent of the
employment.
39

In early spring, juniper meadows are colored yellow
when cowslips (Primula veris) are flowering. Photo:
Kimmo Härjämäki
Nature
Åland is composed of mosaic-like
archipelago. The islands lie within the
Nordic “oak zone”, which is
characterized by a relatively high share
of broad-leaf trees such as oak, ash, elm,
maple and lime as well as more
southerly species of flowering plants.
The mild sea climate and chalky soil
also help to create a rich flora.
Åland has many species of orchids and
is widely known for its wooded
meadows, which are richer in species
than anywhere else in Finland. Åland
has its own nature conservation laws. In
the year 2009, there were 2 538 ha of
nature conservation areas in land areas and 32 947 ha in water areas. There are 87 Natura
2000 areas in Åland.
Agriculture
There are 535 farms in Åland
and an area of 13 771 ha is
under cultivation. Average farm
size is around 26 ha (36 ha in
the whole Finland). The number
of farms has been declining
since the 1990’s. The most
common production types are
grain and special crop
production and horticulture.
Wheat is the most popular grain
crop.
Small units combined with a
favorable climate have also
encouraged local producers to
specialize in crops like onions, Most of the arable land under cultivation in Åland is
Chinese cabbage, sugar beets, grasslands or pasture. Photo: Airi Kulmala.
apples and potatoes. A big part
of the potatoes are cultivated for
chips because the Finland’s biggest chips factory is in Åland.
40

Dairy, cattle and sheep production are the most
common forms of animal husbandry. Ålandic
farmers typically conduct supplementary and
auxiliary activities in forestry, coastal fishing,
aquaculture, small-scale food processing, farmbased
tourism or other activities which help to
preserve the landscape. In 2010, 209 farms in
Åland had supplementary activities.
Organic farming is more popular in Åland than in
mainland Finland. Around 26 % of Ålandic
farmers are organic producers (around 6 % in the
whole country). There are 141 organic animal
farms in the island.
Almost 72 % of Finnish apple yield is
produced in Åland. Photo: Airi Kulmala
Åland has its own Rural Development
Programme. 90 % of farmers take part in the
Åland’s agri-environmental scheme (2007-13).
5.7 ÖLAND
General information
Öland is situated
approximately 10 km
off the coast of
southeast mainland
of Sweden. Öland is
connected to the
mainland with a
bridge placed
between Färjestaden
(on Öland) and
Kalmar (on the
mainland); the bridge
runs for more than 6
km over the open
waters
of
Kalmarsund.
Almost 25 000
people live on Öland
on a year around
basis. A large amount
Öland bridge connects Öland to mainland Sweden. Photo: Öland’s
tourist office
41

of people commute to work both to and from Öland. During the summer Öland’s population
increases both by tourists and the people that spend a great deal of time in their
summerhouses. On Öland, there are about 3,5 million guest nights/year. Öland is also very
popular destination for birdwatchers, and visitors especially interested in nature and culture
which extends the tourist season.
Two municipalities - Borgholm and Mörbylånga
Öland, and the two municipalities, Borgholm and Mörbylånga are
connected to the county Administrative board of Kalmar and the
Regional Council of Kalmar County, which is of importance for
the farmers of Öland in many various issues.
Borgholms municipality covers the northern half of the island. The
main locations are Borgholm and Löttorp. The main occupations
of the municipality are tourism and agriculture and the service
sector is also of great importance. The combination of tourism and
agriculture gives good mutual growth conditions for the future.
The municipality of Borgholm has almost 11 000 inhabitants and
more than 2 million visitors per year.
Mörbylånga municipality covers the southern part of the island. The main locations are
Färjestaden and Mörbylånga. The Municipality of Mörbylånga has just above 14 000
inhabitants. Agriculture is a more important occupation than tourism in the municipality,
compared to Borgholm, but to Mörbylånga many visitors come for the rich birdlife and of
natural and cultural interests. Also in Mörbylånga is the service sector of great importance.
The lighthouse on the southern cape, Långe Jan, is the highest lighthouse in Sweden and
gives a great <strong>view</strong> of the southern part of the island and the Baltic Sea. A large part of the
municipality is one of UNESCOs world heritage “The farmland of southern Öland”.
Färjestaden is the largest agglomeration of Öland and has in the last years grown to become
an important suburb to Kalmar. The inhabitants of Färjestaden, Borgholm, Mörbylånga and
Löttorp see themselves as living in agglomerations, while the rest of the inhabitants of Öland
live in smaller villages and mostly see themselves as living in the countryside.
Nature
Öland is a tall and rather narrow island, 130 km long and 20 km wide. The nature differs a lot
from north to south, but very significant on most of the island is that it is so close to the coast
and the presence of Alvar.
42

Viking stone ship burial ground in Gettlinge is one example of
Öland’s ancient cultural landscape. Photo: Öland’s tourist office
Sandstone, slate and limestone
make up Ölands
bedrock. The limestone
base and climate have
produced a flora that has a
wealth of rare plants and
lots of orchids.
On the Stora Alvaret on
southern Öland - the
treeless 40 km long steppe -
the limestone is often
exposed or only slightly
covered by a thin layer of
earth. The Alvaret is unique
as a landscape type for
Northern Europe. Another
kind of countryside meets
one upon proceeding
northward from the Alvaret towards the Borgholm district: Southern Sweden's largest
continuous deciduous forest.
Öland is an ancient cultural landscape. The many grave fields and ancient defence
fortifications which the nomads built for their defence during the Migratory ages provide a
vigorous reminder of prehistoric times.
The meadows along the coast with a very interesting flora and a paradise for birdwatchers are
another important landscape type of Öland. Birdwatchers will find many different birds that
will rest on Öland on their long journeys in the spring and autumn – this has made Öland an
Eldorado for birdwatchers.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the most important business on Öland, even if it differs over the island. The
arable land area is 40 854 ha and and there is also 42 633 ha of pasture. There are 720 farms
on the island. The cultivated area for organic production is 3 231 ha and there are 71 organic
farms.
There are 574 cattle farms on the island of which 207 dairy farms. On most of the island,
dairy production is of tradition very important, but over the past 10 years there have been big
changes on the dairy farms. Quite many farms have grown a lot and increased their number
of cows from approximately 50 cows to 150 cows. This means that other farmers have ended
their business or changed to beef cattle or sheep production. There are also some pig farmers
on the island.
43

Livestock production is essential all over
Öland and it has been important for how the
farms have developed, but it is also of great
importance for how the landscape is
maintained. The livestock production adds a
lot of values – open fields and pastures,
beautiful nature and is also very important
for biodiversity.
Of tradition and the good soils the farmers
on the south western part of the island are
focused on crop and specialized crop
production – cereals, onion, potatoes, brown
beans, oilseed etc. Until some few years ago
it was common in this area to grow sugar
beets but that has all ended. Instead there
are some areas used to grow maize as
fodder for the dairy farms on the rest of the
island.
Agriculture is the most important business on
Öland. Photo: Öland’s tourist office
44

References
B7 Islands
B7 Baltic Islands Network. http://www.b7.org/.
Bornholm
Agricultural Statistics 2012.
Gotland
County administrative board of Gotland 2011.
Olsson, L. & Öhrman, R. 1996. Gotland: förr och nu. 2nd edition. Gotlands
Läromedelscentral. ISBN 9789185446186.
Region Gotland 2011. http://www.gotland.se
Region Gotland 2011. Gotland in figures 2011 – facts and statistics.
Statistics Sweden (SCB) 2011. Yearbook of agricultural statistics 2011 – including food
statistics. Available: http://www.scb.se/Pages/Product____37559.aspx.
Hiiumaa
B7 Baltic Islands Network. http://www.b7.org/.
Hiiumaa Tourist Information. Available: http://www.hiiumaa.ee
Statistics Estonia 2011. Available: http://.stat.ee/.
Rügen
B7 Baltic Islands Network. Rügen. Available:
http://www.b7.org/index.php?option=com_content&<strong>view</strong>=article&id=46&Itemid=42
Statistisches Jahrbuch Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 2011.
Available: http://www.statistik-mv.de/cms2/STAM_prod/STAM/_downloads/
Veroeffentlichungen/7._Gesamtausgabe(2010).pdf.
Saaremaa
B7 Baltic Islands Network. http://www.b7.org/.
Saaremaa Tourist Information: www.saaremaa.ee
45

Statistics Estonia.2011 Available: http://.stat.ee/.
Åland
Statistics and Research Åland (ÅSUB) 2010. Statistical yearbook of Åland 2010. Available:
http://www.asub.ax/files/statistisk_arsbok_for_aland.pdf.
Government of Åland 2007. Rural Development Programme for the Region of Åland 2007-
2013. Available: http://www.regeringen.ax/.composer/upload/naringsavd/jordbruksbyran/
LBU-programkompl_eng.pdf.
The Åland Parliament and the Åland Government 2008. Åland in brief. Available:
http://www.aland.ax/.composer/upload//alandinbrief08.pdf.
Öland
County Administrative board of Kalmar.
Swedish official statistics - SJV statistic database 2010.
Öland Business Office.
Other
HELCOM 2005. Airborne nitrogen loads to the Baltic Sea. Available:
http://www.helcom.fi/stc/files/Publications/OtherPublications/Airborne_nitrogen_loads_toB
S.pdf.
HELCOM 2009. Eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. An integrated thematic assessment of the
effects of nutrient enrichment in the Baltic Sea region. Executive Summary. Baltic Sea
Environment Proceedings No. 115A Available:
http://meeting.helcom.fi/c/document_library/get_file?p_l_id=79889&folderId=377779&nam
e=DLFE-36817.pdf.
HELCOM 2011. Fifth Baltic Sea Pollution Load Compilation (PLC-5). Baltic Sea
Environmental Proceedings No. 128 Available: Available:
http://www.helcom.fi/stc/files/Publications/Proceedings/BSEP128.pdf.
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency 2010. Baltic Survey - a study in the Baltic Sea
countries of public attitudes and use of the sea Report 6382. Available:
http://www.naturvardsverket.se/Documents/publikationer/978-91-620-6382-5.pdf.
46

Annex 1. The questionnaire
Inter<strong>view</strong> questions to farmers at the B7-islands, Baltic Deal
Name: ________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________
1. At which B7-island is your farm located?
2. Sex
Hiiuma
Saarema
Öland
Åland
Gotland
Bornholm
Female
Male
Couple (both participate in inter<strong>view</strong>)
Family (son, father or other family members take part in inter<strong>view</strong>) (write
who): __________________________________________________
3. What is your relation to the property?
Owner
Factor
Tenant
Other (write): ____________________________________________________
4. How old are you? ___________ years old
5. For how many years have you been a farmer? ___________ years
6. Are you a part time or a full time farmer?
Full time
47

Part time
7. a How many persons (salaried staff) work permanent at your farm at least part time?
___________
7. b How many persons (salaried staff) work only seasonal at your farm?
___________
8. Is your partner (wife/husband) working at the farm?
Yes
No
9. Are other family members working at the farm?
Yes
No
Who (write): ____________________________________________________
10. How do you find the opportunities for being a farmer in __________ (own island/own
country)?
Positive
Negative
Why:____________________________________________________
11. In your opinion, what will be the situation at your own farm in five years (2016)?
11.1 Economy
11.2 Production
Better economy (bottom line)
Worse economy (bottom line)
Same economy (bottom line)
Increasing production
48

Decreasing production
Same production as today
Ceased
New owner/next generation continues the production
Change in type of production
Comments:___________________________________________________
Attitudes to the Baltic Sea environment and the role of the agriculture
12. In your opinion, what is the status of the environment in the ________ish (own country)
part of the Baltic Sea in general?
(Please use a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 stands for ‘very bad’ and 5 stands for ‘very good’)
1 (very bad)
2 3 4 5 (very good)
Comments:____________________________________________________
13. Statements to Baltic Sea environment
To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statements
(Please use a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 stands for ‘I totally disagree’ and 5 stands for ‘I
totally agree’):
13.1 “I am worried about the Baltic Sea environment”
1 (totally disagree) 2 3 4 5 (totally agree)
Comments:____________________________________________________
13.2 “The Baltic Sea environment is better today than 10 years ago”
1 (totally disagree) 2 3 4 5 (totally agree)
Comments:____________________________________________________
13.3 “The Baltic Sea environment is poorer today than 10 years ago”
1 (totally disagree) 2 3 4 5 (totally agree)
49

Comments:___________________________________________________
13.4 “The Baltic Sea is in general affected by farming”
1 (totally disagree) 2 3 4 5 (totally agree)
Comments:____________________________________________________
13.5 “I affect the Baltic Sea environment by my farming”
1 (totally disagree) 2 3 4 5 (totally agree)
Comments:____________________________________________________
14. Which environmental issues are a problem in the Baltic Sea?
To what extent do you <strong>view</strong> the following issues as a problem?
(Please use a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 stands for ‘Not at all a problem in the Baltic Sea’ and
5 stands for ‘A very big problem in the Baltic Sea’)
14.1 “Algal blooms”
1 (Not at all a problem in the Baltic Sea) 2 3 4 5 (A very
big problem in the Baltic Sea)
Comments:____________________________________________________
14.2 “Lack of oxygen in sea bottoms”
1 (Not at all a problem in the Baltic Sea) 2 3 4 5 (A very
big problem in the Baltic Sea)
Comments:____________________________________________________
14.3 “Too many nutrients leaching from the agriculture around the Baltic Sea”
1 (Not at all a problem in the Baltic Sea) 2 3 4 5 (A very
big problem in the Baltic Sea)
Comments:____________________________________________________
15. The farmer’s role
To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statements
(Please use a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 stands for ‘I totally disagree’ and 5 stands for ‘I
totally agree’)
50

15.1 “As a farmer I play a role in improving the Baltic Sea environment”
1 (totally disagree) 2 3 4 5 (totally agree)
Comments:____________________________________________________
15.2 “I already use practices and measures which reduce the leaching of nutrients to the
Baltic Sea”
1 (totally disagree) 2 3 4 5 (totally agree)
Comments:____________________________________________________
15.3 “In the next five years, I am planning to introduce practices and measures at my farm,
which reduce the leaching of nutrients to the Baltic Sea”
1 (totally disagree) 2 3 4 5 (totally agree)
Comments:____________________________________________________
15.4 “I think that at my farm, it will be necessary in the next five years to invest in agroenvironmental
measures to reduce leaching of nutrients to the Baltic Sea”
1 (No, totally disagree) 2 3 4 5 (Yes, totally agree)
Other comments:___________________________________________________
15.5 “I am interested in learning more about agro-environmental measures to reduce leaching
of nutrients to the Baltic Sea”
1 (No, totally disagree) 2 3 4 5 (Yes, totally agree)
Other comments:____________________________________________________
16. What has until now kept you from doing (even) more to reduce the leaching of nutrients
to the Baltic Sea?
Lack of knowledge
Lack of environmental advice
Lack of possibilities for investments
Lack of technology
Lack of interest
Other reasons, describe
which:____________________________________________________
51

17. What can make you do (even) more to reduce the leaching of nutrients to the Baltic Sea?
More knowledge
More environmental advice
Better possibilities for investments
New environmental technology
Other reasons, describe
which:___________________________________________________
18. If money not play a role, how would you then choose to reduce the leaching of nutrients
to the Baltic Sea?
Describe how:____________________________________________________
19. Knowledge and advice
To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statements
(Please use a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 stands for ‘I totally disagree’ and 5 stands for ‘I
totally agree’):
19.1 “It is easy for me to find the knowledge I need, about environmental measures to reduce
leaching of nutrients to the Baltic Sea”
1 (No, totally disagree) 2 3 4 5 (Yes, totally agree)
Other comments:____________________________________________________
19.2 “It is easy for me to find the advice I need, about environmental measures to reduce
leaching of nutrients to the Baltic Sea”
1 (No, totally disagree) 2 3 4 5 (Yes, totally agree)
Other comments:____________________________________________________
20. Implementation of measures
To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statements
(Please use a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 stands for ‘I totally disagree’ and 5 stands for ‘I
totally agree’):
20.1 “The public authorities has to have an early and good dialogue with the farmers and
their organization, to implement good decisions for the Baltic Sea”
52

1 (totally disagree) 2 3 4 5 (totally agree)
Comments:____________________________________________________
20.2 “The measures have to be obligatory, if the leaching to the Baltic Sea shall be reduced
effectively”
1 (totally disagree) 2 3 4 5 (totally agree)
Comments:____________________________________________________
20.3 “The farmers need to be paid for the environmental benefits they produce”
1 (totally disagree) 2 3 4 5 (totally agree)
Comments:____________________________________________________
21. Other comments (the word is free)
(write): ____________________________________________________
53

Baltic deal gathers farmers and farmers’ advisory organisations around the Baltic Sea in a unique effort to raise
the competence concerning agri-environmental practises and measures among farmers and advisors. The aim is to
support farmers to reduce nutrient losses from farms, with maintained production and competiveness.
Baltic Deal is a flagship project of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. It is funded by the Baltic Sea
Regional Programme 2007–2013 and by the NEFCO/NIB Baltic Sea Action Plan Trust Fund. The project period
is 2010 to 2013.