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Farm Risk Map: A contextual tool for risk identification and sustainable management on farms

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Abstract

A contextual risk management tool, termed the Farm Risk Map, was designed for risk identification and sustainable management on farms. Design criteria for the tool were that it should be relevant for farmers, holistic, systematic and easy to use. The tool should be comprehensive, but it should also include a one-page summary helping in the visualization of the risks. Major risk categories included in the risk map were farm assets and finance, products and production quality and people safety, as well as risks external to the farm. A constructive research approach was used, incorporating extant literature, surveys among farmers and expert workshops. The tool was also tested on a number of case farms. Farmers were able to take a broader perspective on risk management and to prioritize risks systematically. The Farm Risk Map has been used as a basis for developing new risk management software.

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Acknowledgements

In 2005–2008, MTT Agrifood Research Finland and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland conducted a joint project of farm safety and security management (Maaturva) in Finland aimed at designing a new farm risk management tool. This development process was executed in close cooperation with academics and other experts in risk management and in farming. The Farm Risk Map and the risk management tools are results of this project. The preliminary Farm Risk Map was first published in portal.mtt.fi (2008) and in Leppälä et al (2008). The project was funded by the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture, the insurance company Tapiola and the Forestry and Farmer's Social Insurance Institution (Mela).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MTT Agrifood Research Finland (Economic Research), Vakolantie 55, Vihti, 03400, Finland

    Jarkko Leppälä

  2. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P. O. Box 1300, Tampere, 33101, Finland

    Mervi Murtonen

  3. Aalto University, Otaniementie 17, Espoo, 02150, Finland

    Ilkka Kauranen

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  1. Jarkko Leppälä
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  3. Ilkka Kauranen
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Leppälä, J., Murtonen, M. & Kauranen, I. Farm Risk Map: A contextual tool for risk identification and sustainable management on farms. Risk Manag 14, 42–59 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1057/rm.2011.14

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