Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review: stage 2 - Finland case study

1. Introduction

This report is an interim output of the Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review. It forms part of Stage 2 of the review, which includes four international case studies on Canada, England, Finland, and Ireland. The case studies have been undertaken by country-based experts and compiled by the project research team which is led by researchers at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC). Learning from this case study will help to inform the findings and recommendations in the final report which will be published in early 2026.

The author of this case study is Päivi Pylkkänen. Päivi Pylkkänen holds an M.Sc. in Human Geography and Planning and works as a Project Manager at the University of Helsinki’s Ruralia Institute. Her work focuses on local food systems and place-based rural development. She has contributed as an evaluator to several national and international rural development assessments, and has also previously worked in the administration of the EU LEADER approach at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Finland. From 2017 to 2022, she was an elected board member of the Local Action Group Jyväsriihi.

Further information about the review can be found on the project webpage: Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review.