Why is farming concentrated in southern and western Finland?

Farming in Finland is concentrated in the southern and western regions primarily due to favorable climatic and soil conditions.

The climate in these areas is more temperate than in the north, where severe and prolonged winters significantly restrict agricultural activity. The southern and western regions benefit from warmer airflows from the Atlantic, moderated by the Baltic Sea, which creates a more suitable environment for grain farming.12

Additionally, these regions contain the country's most fertile land. The southwest, in particular, features extensive meadowlands with soil composed of postglacial marine and lake deposits, such as clays and silts, which are highly conducive to mixed agriculture. In contrast, northern regions are characterized by thicker layers of peat and harsher conditions, leading farmers there to focus more on small dairy herds and forestry rather than large-scale crop production.345