Perspectives on Climate Resilient Food Chains - a Case Study from Finland

Climate change has several profound effects on the functionality of food supply chains. Floods, soil erosion and changes in plant species for example make agricultural activities and food production more vulnerable. It is, however, increasingly evident that local impacts of climate change on food chain may vary remarkably not only between countries but also within one country. In this regard, it is a major future task to re-organize the prevailing patterns of the food system in order to make it more resilient. It is important that all stakeholders of the supply chain from food producers to retail and consumers have access to this transformative food chain management. In our paper, we discuss the transformative food chains in climatic conditions of Finland. Our paper is based on a case study, which was conducted in Finland in 2012. The primary data were collected through thematic interviews with 16 different food chain stakeholders, from three regions in Finland: Central Finland, Pirkanmaa and Southern Savo. The interviewed stakeholders comprised mainly of food entrepreneurs, with additional representatives consisting of farmers, trade unions and retails chains. Qualitative content analysis was used for data analysis. Our preliminary results indicate that there is a need for a more decentralized food system. Local food chains may act effectively as adaptive strategy. Food enterprises are simultaneously facing other increased challenges, such as increased bureaucracy and market competition which limits their efforts in climate change adaptation.