After two years of TransFarm project we are turning to home stretch!
TransFarm (Transborder cooperation for circular soilless farming systems) project has progressed now more than two years, and the project is now turning to home stretch. How has the time gone?
TransFarm project aims to support the spread and adoption of closed circular soilless farming methods, such as Aquaponics. It is a farming method where fish and vegetables are grown indoors in a closed symbiotic circle to reduce substantially the usage of fresh water and the wasting of valuable nutrients. With Aquaponic farming one can basically harvest vegetables and fish all year-round, grown in controlled and safe environment, without any pesticides.
During the second year of project implementation project partners from Estonia, Latvia and Sweden have finalized and tested their Aquaponic demo systems for studying, developing and promoting the Aquaponic farming system. Each demo system is also unique, so different means and measures are needed to find the optimized system balance.
In the testing phase focus has been in reclaimed water, such as treated grey water or harvested rain water to replace completely the use of potable water. Teams in Estonia and in Sweden are studying these opportunities. TransFarm project has also produced several guiding reports (about water management, plants and fish in Aquaponics) to be freely utilized by anyone who is interested about Aquaponic farming. These informative materials can be found in address www.centralbaltic.eu/project/transfarm and by selecting Project materials. Most of the guiding reports are published both in English and in national languages.
On June 3rd and 4th the TransFarm teams from Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Sweden gathered to Riga Latvia for working together for the project and sharing the results they have produced in the testing and monitoring phase of their Aquaponic demo systems through an open international training day. Very interesting results were presented, but it was also shown that challenges and work still remain to do despite of the hard efforts already given.
The TransFarm team had also an opportunity to visit the wastewater treatment unit at Jurmala Latvia on June 4th 2025. In the media beds on the right is growing grass which is irrigated with treated recycled water from Jurmala WWTP.
TransFarm project is implemented by a consortium which is coordinated by Finland Futures Research Centre at University of Turku. Other project partners are NVAA and Coompanion Roslagen & Norrort (Norrtälje), University of Latvia (Riga) and Estonian University of Life Science (Tartu). Project duration is three years starting from March 2023 and closing in January 2026. The overall project budget is 1,87 million euro, of which EU financing covers 1,5 million euro. TransFarm project is funded by EUs Interreg Central Baltic programme. For more information:
| Project Specialist Veijo Pönni FFRC/UTU | veijo.ponni@utu.fi +358 50 542 6747 |
