Viikki Urban Farmer Loviisa Pelttari at the hydroponic farm on Viikki campus.
“The first time someone bought our herbs at the local food fair—it felt surreal. Like, we grew that. And someone wanted it.”
By Wilhelmina Mäntylä
University of Helsinki
Aug 22, 2025
Excerpt:
On a bright July morning, on the backyard of the greenhouses of Viikki campus, five students move quietly among rows of lush greens and herbs. These aren’t ordinary students on their summer break – they’re part of a new experiment in sustainable food production and micro-entrepreneurship: the Urban Farmers Pilot.
Launched by Viikki Food Design Factory in collaboration with the University of Helsinki’s faculty of agriculture and forestry, Blokgarden and Ylva’s Unicafe Viikuna, and enabled by the Food SystemiCity programme, the Urban Farmers pilot is a hands-on learning experience that combines urban agriculture with real-world business skills.
Over summer 2025, five students took on the challenge of running their own micro-farming company, the Viikki Urban Farmers, taking care of business from hydroponic plant cultivation to marketing and sales.
At its heart, the project is about re-imagining how food can be grown, shared and valued in the city. And along the way, it’s also reshaping how these young entrepreneurs see their future.
Set on Viikki campus next to the university’s greenhouses, the Urban Farmers Pilot offers students a unique chance to farm sustainably within city limits. The team commits around ten hours per week to their business – planting, maintaining crops, troubleshooting hydroponic systems, organizing deliveries, marketing and sales.
Read the complete article here.