Forages for the future

Grasslands rocks in green bioeconomy

Grasslands are the largest biome in Earth, occupying 31 to 43 % of earth surface which is more than forests or agricultural areas. Grasslands support ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling, primary production and pollinator services, but also regulating services through CO2 sequestration and maintenance of soil fertility, as well as provisional services such as plant materials and game and cultural services. In Finland 34 % of the arable land is used for forage production and half of the agricultural income comes throught intensively manage forage grasses. The best news is yet to come ... Forage grasses are well-adapted to Northern climate and they have a huge potential for biomass production. The wide genetic diversity within and between grass species opens up unexploered possibilities for green bioeconomy. Grasslands do well also in circulating economy as they are species mixtures composing both forage grasses and legumes.