PETRA HYVÄRINEN - Eeva-Kaisa Ailus
The Last Pasture - reflections on a cow’s relationship with nature

Structural changes in the countryside have caused the entire landscape to change. Farming has become mechanised and to a large extent automated. Technology has undermined muscle power and things are no longer done by hand. Humans move on to other jobs, using machines, or they become marginalised. Competition is fierce and efficiency dictates the rules. Smallholdings, like other types of small unit, are fighting for survival as we drink imported milk, talk on our Chinese Nokias and dress in ‘Finnish textiles’ from India. We have become truly global. Do we still recognise our roots and are we still proud of them? And is it possible to hold on to them – if not by hand-milking cows, then at least by knowing ourselves?