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BIONÆR-Bionæringsprogram

Sustainable growth of the Norwegian Horticulture Food System

Alternative title: Økt verdiskaping i norsk grøntnæring

Awarded: NOK 19.2 mill.

The Norwegian horticulture sector produced goods for a total value of more than 19 billion NOK in 2016 at the wholesale level and contribute with as much as 17% of the total primary production value in Norwegian agriculture. The recent Norwegian strategy presented in "Grøntsektoren mot 2035" aims to increase the demand, production volume and market shares of Norwegian horticulture produce with 50% within 2035. The consumption of vegetables, potatoes, fruit and berries in Norway is only 60% of the 500 g/day recommended by the Health Authorities. Hence there is a large potential for increased market opportunities for Norwegian vegetables. The main aim of GreenRoad is to deliver knowledge and solutions for increased value creation and sustainability in the horticultural food system in Norway. GreenRoad aims to identify possibilities for increased value and volumes in the Norwegian horticulture production. Mapping activities will indicate areas for increased production of selected crops, and will identify social, political, economic and logistic possibilities and constraints. Sustainability indicators for different productions will be developed and production-systems of selected crops will be improved to gain high quality, increased volumes and sustainable production. New technology will be tested both in fields and in greenhouse production. Value chains, marked structures and consumer preferences will be studied. Finally, all knowledge produced will identify possible transformations of the horticultural food system in Norway. Nine test municipalities have been selected for mapping; Tromsø, Narvik, Frosta, Ringebu, Stange, Lier, Larvik, Hå and Grimstad. The cultures choosen for mapping are carrot, beans (asparagus beans) and lettuce. For all 3 cultures, there are maps that show the potential for vegetable cultivation. In addition, there are widely different cultures; root growth, protein growth and leaf growth and all have the potential for increased production. Work on mapping the properties of two new apple varieties in the field at Gartnerhallen manufacturers is underway. GreenRoad is owned by NIBIO. Norwegian R&D partners: NORSUS, Nofima, Meteorologisk Institutt, NMBU, BI, NLR. International R&D partners: Univ of Reading, UK; RISE, Sweden; WUR, Netherlands; LUKE, Finland. Business partners: Bama Gruppen AS, Gartnerhallen AS, Felleskjøpet AS, Strand Unikorn AS. Opplysningskontoret for Frukt og Grønt, Matmerk In addition, there are widely different cultures; root growth, protein growth and leaf growth and all have the potential for increased production. Work on mapping the properties of two new apple varieties in the field at Gartnerhallen manufacturers is underway.

The main aim of GreenRoad is to deliver knowledge and solutions for increased value creation and sustainability in the horticultural food system in Norway. The project will define and prioritize areas and regions suitable for production of selected horticultural crops, assessing environmental, climatic, topographic, economic, social, legal and political constraints and opportunities for increased horticultural production, also in new regions (WP1). The environmental, economic and social sustainability of different strategies for increased horticultural production will be assessed, and new assessment methodologies developed (WP2). GreenRoad will also generate new biological and technical knowledge on methods for increased, improved, sustainable production of high quality horticultural products, taking into account provision of ecosystem services (biodiversity and pollinating activities), circularity of organic resources and the use of waste heat (WP3). The project will assess sustainable value creation barriers and opportunities at all stages in the supply chain, with a focus on seasonal labour supply, retail market structure and labelling strategies, and with Finland as a contrasting case. Business and policy measures to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables will be identified (WP4). Partners and stakeholders will be involved throughout the project in focus groups and other forms of participatory research, and their feedback will contribute to develop innovation platforms and pathways towards GS35 (WP5). A case study on apples binds the different WPs together with a “farm to fork” perspective. The project involves a variety of different disciplines (biology, geography, economy, sociology…) who will collaborate in different WPs. There is a strong involvement of business and national and international research partners.

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BIONÆR-Bionæringsprogram