Building immigrant inclusion and employment opportunities in Finland's natural products sector
Our project aims to build seasonal, self-motivated additional income and employment opportunities for immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. At the same time, we are developing entrepreneurial models for motivated individuals and communities in the collection, further processing and sale of natural products.
Many benefits from collecting berries, mushrooms and herbs:
Many benefits from collecting berries, mushrooms and herbs:
- Reducing the wastage of valuable natural resources. There is strong global demand for super healthy Finnish berries, mushrooms and other natural products but it is estimated that 85% of these resources remain unpicked in the forest.
- We create more products for export and enable increased export revenues.
- Workforce from Finland. Companies are recruiting and flying berry pickers to Finland from abroad, even though there is significant potential here for attracting capable and motivated workers, some of whom already have experience and know-how in utilising natural products in their home countries.
- Berry picking work does not require proficiency in the Finnish language. This makes it possible to employ immigrants who are long-term unemployed, boosting their livelihoods and reducing dependency on state support.
- Improving the position of immigrant women and young people. Berry picking can help people to integrate into the society and to take their first steps into employment.
- Support for entrepreneurship. We also support people with immigrant backgrounds to find work in the natural products sector through entrepreneurship.