Phosphorus and nitrogen losses occur at all stages of the food system: from primary production to food consumption and further to waste and wastewater management. Inefficient use of nutrients causes economic losses and increases dependence on external inputs. In addition, nutrient availability is vulnerable to geopolitical risks and price fluctuations, which creates uncertainty and economic risk for the entire food chain. In recent years, solutions to promote the efficient use of nutrients have been extensively mapped and increased nutrient recycling has also been modeled, but a comprehensive understanding of the feasibility of the methods and their impacts at the level of the entire food system is lacking. The methods available may vary in value chains by production direction and region.
RavinneVaikutus project utilises an existing system modeling tool (ENVIMATfood) to produce nutrient flows and resulting nutrient losses across the entire Finnish food system at different levels of the system.
The project provides answers about the impacts of nutrient efficiency measures on security of supply, the economy and the environment at the level of society as a whole, while also enabling regional and production planning analysis, taking into account connections to energy production and the safety of recycled nutrients and the feasibility of the measures.
RavinneVaikutus project is funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland through the Food 2.0 Programme from 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2029.
The project is coordinated by the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke), and other partners include Pyhäjärvi Institute (PJI) and Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences (JAMK),Institute of Bioeconomy.