Working with local food and organic food production in Trøndelag
Trøndelag is a beautiful region close to the sea and the Trondheimsfjord and with much farming and a nice landscape. The area is good for biking and walking. The farmers produce wheat in the best areas near the fjord and oats and barley on the other parts. Dairy farms are common with both milk and meat production. We also have vegetables, pig farms and hen production. In the mountain area, near the border to Sweden, there are many sheep farms.
Mære agricultural school has since 2002 worked to support farmers who wants to delvelope their own business with small scale farming and in processing their own milk, meat, fruit, vegetables and other products from the farm. We get money from the Department of agriculture to do this work and to develop courses to support the farmers.
In Trøndelag this has grown to an important way of developing the farms in the region. Mære agricultural school offers courses in milk processing and cheese making, in meat processing, in baking with local grains and selling and processing local fruits and vegetables. The farmers marked in Trondheim is one of the best farmers markets in Norway. So many farmers go to this market to sell their products. Reco-rings are also very popular and is another way the farmers can get in contact and sell products to customers.
Close to Mære we have one of the most famous routes for local food in Norway «Den gyldne omveg». On this route 21 different small scale farmers and artists are collaborating to offer a special local food route for tourists visiting the region.
Organic farming in Trøndelag
Trøndelag is the region in Norway with most organic farming. 7-8% of the farmland is producing organic food. We have one of the most famous dairy business in Norway «Rørosmeieriet» in Røros in the southern part of Trøndelag. This is a beautiful old city and you find it on the world heritage list. The dairy make special cheese and milk products, all from organic milk and sell it to the big cities in Norway.
Many farmers want to work for climate change and to do more organic farming in our region. The 4 agricultural schools in our region work for a project to make farming in a more organic way; to reduce climate gasses like CO2, N2O, CH4 and other gasses. The schools want to learn more about reducing soil work no till farming. They want to seed more insect friendly flowers and grass and to teach the farmers about this way of farming.
In this project we ask for partners in other European countries to learn more other schools and what they are doing to do farming in a more climate and insect friendly way.
Acknowledgements: many thanks to Rita 🙂
