This document summarizes a service design project for participatory food production in the Helsinki region. It includes a design brief, tools used such as literature review and stakeholder mapping, survey results from cooperative farm members, personas of member types, a workshop vision of the future, scenarios, and a final proposal. The goal was to propose solutions to challenges facing urban cooperative farms and increase participation in sustainable local food production.

1. Participatory Food Production
Services in Helsinki region
Case of Urban Cooperative Farming
FINAL PRESENTATION
28.4.2021
Course lecturer
Dr Helena Sustar
AMUO-C3011 Service Design Project Course
Staffan Eriksson
Kaisa Kanerva
Ruth Kupiainen
Kseniia Zhuk

2. CONTENTS
1. Design brief
2. Tools
3. Stakeholders & Relationships
4. Survey Results
5. Personas
6. Workshop Results
7. The Vision
8. Wild Cards & Black Swans
9. Scenarios
10. Storyboard: Networking
11. Quick Experiments
12. The Final Proposal
13. References
14. Appendix

3. Get familiar with the field of Urban Farming in the
Helsinki region by studying relevant literature on a
systemic and strategic city level, as well as with already
existing cases of regenerative urban farming in Helsinki
region listed below
Visualise the network of participatory producers and
potentially other actors supporting sustainable food
futures in the Helsinki Metropolitan Region (governmental
bodies).
Interview relevant actors in the participatory food
production and develop the most typical representers of
these services users and other relevant actors in the food
production and delivery
If possible, visit one of this Urban Cooperative Farms or
attend their virtual meeting and develop a list of issues
that these producers are facing (e.g., limited interest for
this food production, a complicated system of produced
food delivery to their members)
Propose relevant systemic and strategic long-term
solutions in the form of scenarios and guidelines for
Urban Cooperative Farms
Develop short term solutions in the form of storyboards
and experiments that the Urban Cooperative Farm(s) can
utilise in the forthcoming season.
DESIGN
BRIEF

4. 1
TOOLS
LITERATURE SEARCH & REVIEW
Basic understanding of the topic
3 HORIZONS
Understanding the dynamic
change of the CSA field
INTERVIEW
Understanding the grassroots view
& example
SURVEY RESULTS
Enriching the grassroots view
& example
STAKEHOLDER MAP
Covering the involved parties
SERVICE ECOLOGY
Understanding the relationships
of the stakeholders
PERSONAS
Motivation, user experience,
marketing, modifying the service
WORKSHOP*
Vision, scenarios, measures
(*Sitra’s Futures Frequency)
5 6 7 8
2 3 4

5. SERVICE
ECOLOGY

6. SURVEY RESULTS HIGHLIGHTS
“Thanks for excellent work!
Unfortunately, I have had limited
time to spend participating.”
—CSA subscriber
63%
2/3 have visited the fields
during the year
“This was my first year as a
member. I visited the fields two
times, and both were very nice
experiences. However, living
without a car makes it difficult
to visit the premises.”
—CSA subscriber

7. PERSONAS
Sinikka
54-year-old divorced woman
from Kallio
Oona
32-year-old woman with a
boyfriend from Kallio
Sakari
44-year-old old, married
family man from
Herttoniemi
Niko
26-years-old, single man
from Malmi, originally from
Kajaani
Not a member

8. SINIKKA
54 y.o.
Divorced, single-person household
1 daughter 27 y.o.
Lives in Kallio
Working for the City of Helsinki
Behaviors
● Likes meeting her friends
● Makes her own food at home and for
lunch to the office
● No car. Uses public transportation
● Active in two cultural associations
Needs & Goals
● Stay healthy and reasonably fit
● Enjoy the company of other people
● Wants the world to be a generally better
place
“As a one-person
household, I only need
half of the harvest bag”
Motivating
● Belonging to a community of
like-minded
● Getting exercise without exercising
Main problems
● Sometimes feeling lonely. Her family
is living in Oulu.
Demotivating
● Getting to the field requires a car
● Size of food bag is too big for her
single household
● Money is an issue
Where to Find
● At the theatre or on a concert
● Taking a walk with her dog
● Working regularly in the farm

9. OONA
32 y.o.
Living with her boyfriend in Kallio
Working as a software developer
Behaviors
● Likes meeting her friends. Has 800 FB
contacts
● Foodie. Enjoys and likes to make good
food
● Pursuing sports actively
Needs & Goals
● Excel in whatever she does
● Having a good relationship with her
boyfriend
● Collecting new experiences
“I want high quality food
delivered to my home”
Motivating
● Belonging to a community of early
adopters
● Getting organic food in a responsible
way
Main problems
● Making time for her triathlon training
sessions
Demotivating
● The quality of the food needs to be first
class
● Working at the fields is not that
inspiring
Where to Find
● Training for the next half Triathlon
● At a restaurant with friends
● Traveling at an exotic location
● Fixing her 6000 EUR bike

10. SAKARI
44 y.o.
Married, two sons (12 and 15)
Vegan since 9 years
Living in Herttoniemi
Architect, working in an architect office of 8
persons
Behaviors
● Reads a lot. Curious about the world in
general
● Chairperson for the school parental
association
Needs & Goals
● Living in a environmentally responsible
way
● Healthy food and habits for his family
● Making an impact
“Having two teenage
sons, one harvest bag is
not enough”
Motivating
● Getting organic food
● Learning to grow food
Main problems
● Arranging transport for the children’s
hobbies
● Tending to his 86 yr old mother
● Spending more time outdoors
Demotivating
● The amount of food is not really
sufficient for a family with teenage boys
● Why aren't more people involved?!
Where to Find
● At the office
● At home
● In the car
● At the children’s school
● Sporadically in the farm

11. NIKO
26 y.o.
Single-person household
Studies business administration at
Haaga-Helia
Born in Kajaani, now living in Malmi
Youngest of a family with 5 children
Behaviors
● Plan to finish his studies next year
● Socializes with other students at school
● Works out at the gym 5 times a week
Needs & Goals
● Wants to establish a living in the Helsinki
area
● Rural background. Outdoors person that
feels connected to nature
“Membership feels
expensive. Guerilla
gardening looks more
attractive”
Motivating
● Belonging to student clubs or more
loose guerilla gardening groups
● Getting study credits?
Main problems
● Family and teenage friends living in
Kajaani
● Needs to find first job
Demotivating
● Knows nobody who is a member
● Middle age family type of activity
● Considers it expensive
Where to Find
● At school
● At the gym
● In cafeterias, coffee shops, bars and at
parties
● Fishing with friends

12. VISION
from workshop
Community Supported Agriculture is part of the
mainstream Finnish agriculture by 2031 with
200.000 subscribers (3,5% of 5,5+ milj.).

13. BEHAVIOUR
● Kumppanuusmaatalous ry finds and leverages role models
for the CSA:s (popstars, sportspeople & politicians e.g. Sanni,
Iivo Niskanen & Sauli Niinistö, social influencers e.g. Natalia
Salmela, youtubers e.g. Mmiisas)
STRUCTURES
● CSA:s become members in SLC & MTK to qualify for
subsidiaries
● Getting local politicians as CSA members and influencing
them to get space for urban farming in city zoning
● Kumppanuusmaatalous ry or some CSA makes citizen
petition for tax reliefs for short logistic chains (i.e locally
produced food)
WAY OF THINKING
● Appreciation of clean and sustainable food is high in all
groups of population with campaigns of
Kumppanuusmaatalous ry, Luomuliitto ry...
● Food is enjoyed according to the season which is
supported by the Satokausi company and taught at e.g.
Workers’ colleges & schools
Workshop results

14. WILD CARDS &
BLACK SWANS
Food supplies used for
political black-mailing
Implications of the climate change:
● drought → fires
● raininess → e.g. mould
● lack of insects and harmful insects
Lack of seeds, expensive seeds or bad
GMO-seeds that cause e.g. unexpected
diseases
Break-down of global logistical
chains due to financial meltdown

15. 4 SCENARIOS
All positive, based on the central
initiator/the changemaker
National Emergency Supply Agency,
schools & the army
SLC, The Central Union of Swedish-speaking
Agricultural Producers in Finland and MTK
Scenario 1
Scenario 2 Present CSAs in the Helsinki Region
Scenario 3
Scenario 4
Neighbourhood associations of Helsinki

16. 1. SCENARIO: The SLC
SLC updates its present strategy and starts acting
on the development of CSA operations in the
vicinity of big cities. By 2031, there is over 300
farmers (3 % of the members) who shift from
specialized intensive farming to diversified organic
production. Thus, the generational turnovers of
smaller farms – which do not have the desire or
resources for big investments – are relieved. MTK
follows SLC’s example applying best practices from
early adopters.

17. 2. SCENARIO: The CSAs in
the Helsinki region
The present CSAs in the Helsinki region unite.
This creates energy and resources causing a
positive spiral of growth. The first paid employee
is hired with project funds from Sitra and the cities
of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen. A new
significant-sized food co-operative emerges and
Helsingin seudun LuomuOsuusKunta (HLOK) has
over 20 000 active members in 2031 (both
community- e.g. local CSAs - and individual
members).

18. 3. SCENARIO:
Neighbourhood associations in Helsinki
Helsinki Neighborhoods Association Helka ry
becomes aware of the possibilities of local
food production to strengthen its withering
member associations. Together with the City of
Helsinki they start to map out the potential
farmland for the next planning round of the
master plan. 10 new fields are allocated for
urban farming in the new master plan for the
use of new local food co-operatives driven by
the neighborhood associations in 2031.

19. 4. SCENARIO: National Emergency
Support Agency
The National Emergency Support Agency use the
CSA’s to build a tested, scalable concept for local
organic food production. The concept does not require
imported fertilizers and other chemicals in case of an
emergency caused by an environmental meltdown,
new pandemic or economic or political instability.
Pilot subscribers include the Army and Finnish schools
who not only use the crop but also teach basic skills
for growing organic food locally.

20. STORYBOARD: NETWORKING
*Mycelium – the vegetative part of a fungus, consisting
of a network of fine white filaments (hyphae)
At micro level CSAs do not collaborate
with each other.
At macro level there are few
connections as well.
Mycelium is growing and developing.
At micro level CSAs cooperate with
each other.
At macro level CSAs connect to
Helsinki Neighbourhood Association,
City of Helsinki. etc.
Potential funders are invited to Gala.
During the event networking between
funders and CSAs.
Current situation Preferable future

21. ● Yearly CSA harvest feast for all Finnish CSA
members and main stakeholders
● Arrange a “single day” at CSAs (i.e not a
“family day”)
● Find CSA godfathers and godmothers at
local schools and universities and on a
national level
● Organizing CSA host families for students
QUICK
EXPERIMENTS
● Train CSA members to act as ambassadors in their workplaces,
schools, hobbies & acquaintance networks as one kind of a co-op task
● Find a volunteer lobbyist/communication specialist at
Kumppanuusmaatalous ry
● Get funding for Kumppanuusmaatalous ry from crowdfunding, SITRA,
Kone, EU LEADER…
● Winter courses on recruiting, crowdfunding, cooking, planting,
gardening etc

22. The Partnership Agriculture Gala is
organised yearly in the end of a
harvest season
A Sourdough Cup is given to the
hosting CSA of the year
TA-DAA!!
The sourdough is to be taken care of
by the host CSA throughout the year
Breaking bread
(sharing a meal, “brotherhood”,
fosters connection and cooperation)
To be repeated and the
sourdough passed on in
2022
FINAL PROPOSAL

24. REFERENCES
- Champan, G. (2017) Multiplicity of Regenerative Business Models, Southern
Blue Regenerative
- Driesenaar, D. (2020) Regenerative Business Models: 8 Steps for Existing
Companies, Medium
- Driesenaar, D. (2019) Business Models: from Linear to Circular to Regenerative,
Medium
- Hillebrandt, A. C. (2020). Kumppanuusmaatalouden suosio kasvaa Norjassa.
Luomulehti, 2020(4), 40-41.
- Jeffries, N. (2019) Regenerative agriculture: how it works on the ground, Medium
- Just Food, (2020). New models of Community Supported Agriculture in test, Just
Food Blog
- Kallio, G., (2020). A carrot isn't a carrot isn't a carrot: tracing value in alternative
practices of food exchange. Agriculture and Human Values, 37, 1095-1109.
- Karlsson, J. O., Carlsson, G., Lindberg, M., Sjunnestrand, T., & Röös, E. (2018).
Designing a future food vision for the Nordics through a participatory modelling
approach. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 38(6), 1-10.
- Marquez, A. (2019). Urban food production for socio-technical transformations.
Case Helsinki Metropolitan Region as a place for innovation, MA thesis
- Mynttinen, R. (2020). Kumppanuusmaataloudella ruokaa lähiruokamarkkinoille ja
ruoantuotantoa tutuksi kuluttajille, Aitoja makuja
- Nordic Co-Operation, (2021). Changing Nordic Food and Lifestyles: Eight Entry Points,
Nordic Co-Operation
- Oma Pelto, www.omapelto.fi
- Oma Maa, https://www.omamaa.fi/
- PieniKylä, https://pienikyla.com/
- Rekolan Puutarha, https://rekolanpuutarha.com/kumppanuusmaatalous-csa-2/
- SITRA, (2020). Cities and Circular Economy for Food
- SITRA, Futures Frequency: Futures Frequency Is a Workshop Method for Building
Alternative Futures
-Söderberg, M (2020). Handbok för Andelsjordbruk: Andelsjordbruk Sverige
- The garage group: Breaking Down Trends in Business Models: Big Co-innovation
Ecosystems & Regenerative Agriculture (with several different cases)
- Wikipedia: Community-supported agriculture (CSA model)

25. 58%
majority is satisfied with
the harvest quality
“The bad harvest felt as a
turn off for the spirit.”
—CSA subscriber
a majority considers food
quality meets their
expectations
most members feel the
coop has improved their
own life
87% 74%
“It has been a good experience to join
the coop, but conditions were
challenging this year.”
—CSA subscriber
not fully satisfied with the
value of the coop
payment
55%
“Having an illness limits my possibility to
participate in voluntary work. It also makes
it difficult to fetch the harvest from the
field. If I must pay separately for those this
becomes too expensive for me.”
—CSA subscriber
Survey results: HARVEST

26. 48%
a minority has committed
to next year
almost everybody would
recommend the coop to
somebody interested
most members feel the
coop has improved their
own life
87% 74%
“Thanks for excellent work.
Unfortunately, I have had limited time
to spend participating. ”
—CSA subscriber
not fully satisfied with the
value of the coop
payment
55%
Survey results: GENERAL

27. “I was surprised about how strained our
financial situation is. There was no
information about that before autumn…
I would have preferred to get the facts
earlier.”
—CSA subscriber
a clear majority consider
the coops operations to
meet their expectations
75%
most members are
interested to buy other
products
78%
Survey results: OPERATIONS
most members are
interested to get products
all year round
81%

28. Thank you