Farm Structure Survey
Agricultural Census 2010 - Outdoor irrigation and energy, preliminary data
08.03.2012
Headlines
- The area available for irrigation in Finland is about 68,600 hectares, which is equal to 3% of the utilized agricultural area. The farmland area available for irrigation is the largest in Southwest Finland.
- Farmland irrigation is possible on 4,600 farms, which is 7% of the agricultural and horticultural enterprises in Finland. The share of irrigating farms is the highest in Aland.
- Half of the farms that have access to irrigation equipment irrigated their farmland in 2010. 19% of the area available for irrigation was irrigated. Outdoor vegetables and potatoes were irrigated the most.
- Sprinkler irrigation was the main method for vegetables and potatoes. Drip irrigation is significant in the irrigation of strawberries, other berries, and apple trees.
- Irrigation usually uses surface water from a pond located in the farm area, or from other, larger waterways that extend beyond the farm boundaries.
- Horticultural farms used frost protection sprinkler irrigation for 3% of their farmland area. Frost protection was carried out the most in Southwest Finland.
- In 2010, the energy consumption of agricultural and horticultural production was less than 3% of the entire energy consumption in Finland.
- The share of agricultural and horticultural production in Finland's electricity consumption was 2%.
- The most energy is consumed in Southwest Finland, where there is a lot of both traditional agriculture and greenhouse production.
- Regarding different production lines, the most energy is consumed in dairy cattle husbandry, cereals production, and horticultural production.
- Of energy consumed by agriculture and horticulture in 2010, wood and field energy accounted for 41%, light and heavy fuel oil for 35%, electricity for 16%, and peat 6%. Greenhouse enterprises were the single largest group of electricity consumers.
Energy consumption in agriculture and horticulture 2010

Tables
Statistics keywords
rural industry, ancillary enterprises, agriculture, farm machinery, farms, gardening, labour, enterprises
Responsible person for the statistics
Kyyrä, Jaana
firstname.lastname@mmmtike.fi
0295 313 142
Information service
0295 313 002
tietopalvelu@mmmtike.fi
Related articles
- Agriculture and horticulture consumed 3% of energy (08.03.2012)
- An increasing number of cows in loose housing systems (15.12.2011)
- Statistical data now also available on tillage and spreading of manure (20.10.2011)
- A third of Finland’s farms and horticultural enterprises are diversified (29.06.2011)
