Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year Award 2010

Eutrophication or nutrient overload is the single largest environmental problem in the Baltic Sea. Agricultural runoff is the main cause. A major solution to the problem is to be found in the promotion of more sustainable farming and land management practices. The WWF Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year Award competition highlights the important role that farmers play in protecting the Baltic Sea and illustrates impressive examples of how farmers are taking innovative approaches and moving towards a more Baltic-friendly farming.

The award-winning farmers in this year’s brochure have all decided to take steps towards sustainable agriculture. Not only have they helped the Baltic Sea ecosystem, they have also found new joy in their work and many of them have increased their profit in the process. This year’s winners, the Swedish couple Håkan and Teri Lee Eriksson, have been awarded the Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year Award 2010 for their “dedicated commitment to showing how a modern farm can apply environmental measures to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus losses. By using modern and innovative techniques that are being systematically documented, nutrient losses have been significantly reduced. It is the jury's belief that the Erikssons have really gone the extra mile to save the Baltic Sea, and that the measures they have taken can be replicated by many other similar farms in the Baltic Sea region”.