AGROPRO - Agronomy for increased food production. Challenges and solutions.

The project- AGROPRO- Agronomy for increased food production in Norway- challenges and solutions(www.agropro.org) has the primary objective to assess possibilities for improvements in agronomic practices for increased and sustainable food production in Norway and to identify drivers and challenges for their implementation. Norwegian institutions, international partners and a reference group have participated in the interdisciplinary work. Dissemination of research results to farmers, the scientific community, stakeholders and decision makers has been an important part of the project. Six farms were selected for on farm studies of the potential for increased yields and agronomic improvements; two farms with milk production, two with meat production and two farms with cereals and poultry production. Research institutions and extention service have used the farms for experiments and as arena for dissemination and interdisciplinary work. Field trials with compaction on different soil types has increased the knowledge of effect on soil structure and yield. The soil compaction model Terranimo has been adapted to Norwegian conditions (soil, climate, maschinery, language ) to advice farmers how to reduce the risk of compaction by wheel loads, inflation pressure (www.terranimo.dk.) Modelling has included effect of soil moisture and tillage, sowing date and yield, available days for soil tillage. A PhD study has studied genetic variations for tolerant cereals to water logging and compacted soils.One PhD study has related root development to physical and chemical soil conditions. One PhD study has studied development and persistence of red clover in grasland. In a long term field experiment 60 years with grain cultivation is compared to mixed grain and gras production on yield, organic matter and nutrients. A new field experiment "Graslab" is established for studies of gras and legumes species and ley mixtures; efficient root depth of gras species, influence of pH on persistence of clover in mixture, relationship between content of phosphorus in soil and plant uptake of phosphorus. Automatic instrumentation for measurement of N2O emission has been developed and used for measurement of N2O emission from different long term cropping system (Apelsvoll Long Term trial Experiment).Results are used in evaluation of sustainable production systems- agronomic practice and effects on nutrient efficiency and emission of greenhouse gas emissions. The influence of socio-cultural, institutional and structural barriers and opportunities for enhanced food production have being focused in the survey among farmers "Trends in Norwegian agriculture". Drivers and potential for farm and sector productivity changes have been important part of analyses in the interdisciplinary studies of different scenarios for increased food production.

AGROPRO - Agronomy for increased food production in Norway. Challenges and solutions Summary This research project addresses primary production in Norwegian agriculture in a value chain perspective reaching from soil and plant resources (WP1) to economi cs of farming systems (WP2) and the farmers socio-cultural involvement (WP3). The overall goal of the project is to create a sound knowledge basis for increased production, productivity and sustainability in domestic food production. The challenge of synt hesizing research findings from different disciplines towards the overall goal is acknowledged and addressed by a team dedicated to develop interdisciplinary approaches (WP4). Conventional and novel approaches of disseminating the knowledge to farmers and decision makers are sought (WP5). The natural science part of the proposal emphasizes robust plant material and soil cultivation strategies suitable for future climate and soil conditions. Nutrient use efficiency is proposed as a common metrics for evalu ating environmental effects. The project strongly draws on the coordinated interaction of the main national players in agronomic, economic and societal research: Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), Bioforsk, Norwegian Agricultural Economics Resea rch Institute (NILF), Centre for Rural Research (CRR), Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute, Norwegian Agricultural Extension Service (NLR) and the international cooperation contributed by each partner. The central hypothesis of the project is that No rwegian food production can be increased sustainably by identifying the main drivers and constraints behind agronomic practice in the central production systems and by suggesting potential changes to them. As such, agricultural practice and its aggregate effects on food production and environment on a national scale will be at the center of the proposed project.