Farm sustainability as a sustainability learning process in Arctic Norway

Sustainability is proposed as a solution to the many negative consequences of modern agriculture. However, although science and policy have aimed for sustainability for more than two decades, it seems that we are not making enough progress. This is due to the complexities of the sustainability concept and that we need to better understand how we can create change. In seeing sustainability as a learning process, this thesis aims to understand how to enhance farm sustainability in Arctic Norway. This is achieved by combining four research rationales: stakeholders’ perspectives, sustainability assessments, sustainability learning, and participatory approaches. I use a case study strategy involving farms in Arctic Norway. By applying a multimethod qualitative approach, I explore the topic through three empirical papers wherein stakeholder participation plays a prominent role. By discussing the findings, I conceptualize farm sustainability as a long-term and multilevel learning process. To achieve farm sustainability, several steps must be aligned: there must be a purpose for the process, various stakeholders must take part, we must know what to learn, a transdisciplinary methodology must be used, and the process should be flexible. In addition, the process must be embedded in the very way of farming. The relevance of these findings is that farm sustainability must be aligned with change toward improved sustainability in society at large. Context plays a major role in what, why, and how we can learn, as well as in who we can learn with. Therefore, farm sustainability as a learning process must be translated to fit the empirical context. This thesis contributes to theory development in the field of agricultural sustainability. Furthermore, it deepens our understanding of how values and context influence farm sustainability, demonstrates the relevance of combining sustainability assessments with a learning process, and broadens our understanding of sustainability learning in agriculture. In combining ‘sustainability as a theory’ and ‘sustainability as a practice’, lies the key to farm sustainability in Arctic Norway

Fitness in fatness : Associations with cardiovascular risk factors and subclinical disease

Background: Fitness may influence cardiovascular (CV) health in obesity. We explored the impact of fitness on CV risk factors and prevalent subclinical CV disease in overweight and obese women and men without known CV disease. Materials and methods: Clinical and echocardiographic data from the FAT associated CardiOvasculaR dysfunction (FATCOR) study was used for analyses of CV risk factors and subclinical CV disease in relation to fitness. Fitness was determined by sex- and age-adjusted peak oxygen uptake on a maximal treadmill test. Results: Hypertension, metabolic syndrome and diabetes were highly and equally prevalent in fit and unfit groups (all p>0.05) (Study 1). In >40% of cases, prevalent hypertension and diabetes were diagnosed in-study. Being fit was characterized by lower waist circumference, non-obesity, non-smoking and higher muscle mass (all p0.05). Mean global longitudinal strain (GLS) was similar between fit and unfit groups within overweight and obese groups (both p>0.05), while low GLS was more prevalent in the unfit vs. the fit obese group (30% vs. 10%, p<0.05) (Study 3). In obesity, but not overweight, fitness was associated with higher GLS (more negative value) (odds ratio 0.87 [95% CI 0.79-0.99, p<0.05), independent of confounders. Conclusion: The prevalences of major CV risk factors and subclinical cardiac disease were high and uninfluenced by fitness. Despite this, fitness in obesity was associated with improved myocardial function. Our findings indicate that women are at particular risk of subclinical cardiac disease, and that fitness alone cannot compensate for the harmful effects of increased body mass index. Furthermore, our results demonstrate the benefit of a thorough assessment of CV risk in such subjects

Flaskehalser i kornproduksjonen i Nord-Norge

Through a literature study and stakeholder interviews factors affecting cereal production in northern Norway is investigated. Barriers and possibilities for increased production in the north is analyzed, establishing two main bottlenecks: 1. The economic situation for cereal production and 2. Lack of knowledge and familiarity with this production. Through this the report ends with eight inputs that can improve potentials for cereal production in northern Norway.Flaskehalser i kornproduksjonen i Nord-NorgepublishedVersio

Bærekraft i arktisk lokalmatproduksjon

Source at https://www.nibio.no/.Denne rapporten omhandler bærekraft og lokalmatproduksjon i Arktis og presenterer resultater fra en litteraturanalyse og to workshoper med ystere fra Nord-Norge. Resultatene fra workshopene viser at ysterne har et helhetlig og reflektert forhold til bærekraft. Ystenæringa i Arktis har en rekke muligheter og styrker når det gjelder å bidra til bærekraft, men det er krevende å sikre en produksjon som er økonomisk bærekraftig. For å styrke lokalmatnæringa i Arktis sine forutsetninger for å utvikle seg i en mer bærekraftig retning, anbefaler vi i rapporten ulike tiltak: (i) sikre gode økonomiske betingelser for lokalmatprodusentene, gjøre små gårdsbruk økonomisk drivverdige, samt motvirker økt sentralisering av infrastruktur, med et mål om å bidra til lokal verdiskaping, spredt bosetting og robuste lokalsamfunn (ii) ivareta produksjonsgrunnlaget og (iii) styrke kunnskap om lokalmatproduksjon og bygge nettverk blant lokalmatprodusentene. Prosjektet bør følges opp med forskning som undersøker (i) lokalmatnæringa i Arktis sin betydning for lokal verdiskapning, (ii) «beste-praksis» for ystenæringa og andre lokalmatproduksjoner for å bidra til bærekraft og (iii) lokalmatnæringa sin betydning for regional matsikkerhet, spesielt i forhold til næringas betydning for å sikre levedyktige lokalsamfunn og å opprettholde robuste landbruksmiljø

Bærekraft i arktisk lokalmatproduksjon

Denne rapporten omhandler bærekraft og lokalmatproduksjon i Arktis og presenterer resultater fra en litteraturanalyse og to workshoper med ystere fra Nord-Norge. Resultatene fra workshopene viser at ysterne har et helhetlig og reflektert forhold til bærekraft. Ystenæringa i Arktis har en rekke muligheter og styrker når det gjelder å bidra til bærekraft, men det er krevende å sikre en produksjon som er økonomisk bærekraftig. For å styrke lokalmatnæringa i Arktis sine forutsetninger for å utvikle seg i en mer bærekraftig retning, anbefaler vi i rapporten ulike tiltak: (i) sikre gode økonomiske betingelser for lokalmatprodusentene, gjøre små gårdsbruk økonomisk drivverdige, samt motvirker økt sentralisering av infrastruktur, med et mål om å bidra til lokal verdiskaping, spredt bosetting og robuste lokalsamfunn (ii) ivareta produksjonsgrunnlaget og (iii) styrke kunnskap om lokalmatproduksjon og bygge nettverk blant lokalmatprodusentene. Prosjektet bør følges opp med forskning som undersøker (i) lokalmatnæringa i Arktis sin betydning for lokal verdiskapning, (ii) «beste-praksis» for ystenæringa og andre lokalmatproduksjoner for å bidra til bærekraft og (iii) lokalmatnæringa sin betydning for regional matsikkerhet, spesielt i forhold til næringas betydning for å sikre levedyktige lokalsamfunn og å opprettholde robuste landbruksmiljø.Bærekraft i arktisk lokalmatproduksjonpublishedVersio

Learning for Sustainability in Horticultural Production in Arctic Norway

Sustainability learning is gaining popularity as an important field within sustainability research, where farm sustainability can be understood as a learning process. In this study, we seek to reveal the sustainability learning process of farmers, utilizing a framework distinguishing contextual factors (where? and when?), knowledge (what?), motivation (why?), and process (how?). The article presents a participatory inquiry mixed-methods approach, utilizing results from sustainability assessments on five farms with the SMART-farm tool as a unifying starting point for further discussions on sustainability learning in farmers' interviews and stakeholder workshops. Empirically the study is set in the horticultural production in Arctic Norway, where few studies on sustainability have been undertaken. The study shows how both the complexity of the concept of farm sustainability and contextual factors influence the sustainability learning process, for instance by giving rise to a vast number of conflicting issues while working toward farm sustainability. The sustainability learning process is found to be predominantly a social learning process. The theoretic contribution of the study lies in its novel framework that can be used to reveal important aspects of the sustainability learning process, as well as to contribute to the literature on how to proceed from sustainability assessments to implementation. A key finding from the study is that farmers will require continuous assistance in their processes toward farm sustainability, but for this to be possible, knowledge, sources of knowledge, and learning platforms for holistic sustainability need to be established

Dyrking og bruk av korn i Nord-Norge. Kunnskap fra det Nord‐Atlantiske prosjektet Northern Cereals 2015‐2018

Denne rapporten har fokus på dyrking og bruk av bygg i Nord-Norge. Innholdet er basert på kunnskapen som er generert gjennom det Nord-Atlantiske samarabeidsprosjektet Northern Cereals 2015-2018. I tillegg til kunnskap om hvordan man dyrker bygg i nord og bruker bygg til mat og malt omhandler rapporten dyrking og bruk av bygg i Nord-Norge i historisk sammenheng, samt et avsluttende kapittel om nye muligheter for denne næringen.publishedVersio

Arterial Stiffness in Overweight and Obesity: Association with Sex, Age, and Blood Pressure

Introduction: Obesity has been associated with increased arterial stiffness. Sex-differences in arterial stiffness in obesity have been less explored. Aim: To explore sex-differences in arterial stiffness by applanation tonometry in 323 women and 225 with overweight and obesity, free of cardiovascular disease. Methods: Covariables of arterial stiffness were identified in multivariable linear regression analyses in the total cohort and separately in women and men. Results: In the total study cohort, women had higher augmentation pressure (AP) and augmentation index (AIx), and lower carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) than men, independent of confounders (all p < 0.001). In sex-specific analyses, higher AP was associated with higher age and 24-hours systolic blood pressure (BP), and with lower heart rate in women (all p < 0.001), and with higher age and BP in men (all p < 0.001). Similarly, higher AIx was associated with higher age and BP, and lower body mass index (BMI) and heart rate in women (all p < 0.05), and with higher age in men (all p < 0.001). Higher cf-PWV correlated with higher age and BP in women (all p < 0.005), and additionally with higher heart rate and non-smoking in men (all p < 0.05). When replacing BMI with waist-hip ratio, higher waist-hip ratio was associated with higher cf-PWV in men only (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Among subjects with overweight and obesity, AP and AIx were higher in women, and cf-PWV was higher in men. Age and 24-hours systolic BP were the main factors associated with arterial stiffness in both sexes, while measures of adiposity had little impact on arterial stiffness.publishedVersio

Association of myocardial energetic efficiency with circumferential and longitudinal left ventricular myocardial function in subjects with increased body mass index (The FATCOR study)

Lower myocardial mechanic-energetic efficiency (MEEi), expressed as stroke volume/heart rate ratio (SV/HR) in mL/s/g of the left ventricular (LV) mass, is associated with the incidence of heart failure in subjects with cardiometabolic disorders. We explored the association of MEEi with LV systolic circumferential and longitudinal myocardial function in 480 subjects with increased body mass index (BMI) without known cardiovascular disease (mean age 47 ± 9 years, 61% women, 63% obese, 74% with hypertension) participating in the fat-associated cardiovascular dysfunction (FATCOR) study. Insulin resistance was assessed by the homeostasis model assessment insulin-resistance index (HOMA-IR). SV was calculated by Doppler echocardiography. The LV systolic circumferential myocardial function was evaluated by midwall fractional shortening (MFS) and longitudinal function by global longitudinal strain (GLS). Patients were grouped into MEEi quartiles. The lowest MEEi quartile (<0.41 mL/s per g) was considered low MEEi. The association of MEEi with MFS and GLS were tested in multivariable linear regression analyses. Patients with low MEEi were more frequently men, with obesity and hypertension, dyslipidemia and higher HOMA-IR index (all p for trend <0.05). In multivariable analyses, lower MEEi was associated with lower LV myocardial function by MFS and GLS independent of higher LV mass and clinical variables, including older age, male sex, presence of hypertension and a higher triglycerides level (all p < 0.05). In conclusion, in subjects with increased BMI without known cardiovascular disease participating in the FATCOR study, reduced MEEi was associated with lower LV myocardial function both in the circumferential and longitudinal direction, independent of cardiometabolic factors.publishedVersio

Bærekraft i ammeku-produksjonen. En helhetlig tilnærming til bærekraftsbegrepet gjennom SAFA rammeverket og SMART verktøyet

Denne rapporten er et bidrag til kunnskapsgrunnlaget for å konkretisere hva bærekraftig matproduksjon betyr i norsk ammeku-produksjon. Utgangspunktet for arbeidet er en helhetlig tilnærming, der alle dimensjoner av bærekraft inkluderes ved bruk av SAFA rammeverket. Gjennom en prosess med bred medvirkning har vi sett på status for norsk ammeku-produksjon i dag. Deretter har vi gjennomført ti SMART bærekraftsanalyser på gårder med ammeku-produksjon, og diskutert resultatene av disse i to workshoper. I andre workshop gikk vi dypere inn i hvert tema i SAFA/SMART og diskuterte beste-praksis for ammeku-produksjon. I rapporten diskuterer vi SMART som mulig verktøy for vurdering og dokumentasjon av alle dimensjoner av bærekraft. Konklusjonene er at alle temaene i SMART/SAFA er relevante for norske forhold, at SMART er godt egnet til å skape bevissthet om bærekraft på egen gård, men at SMART med fordel bedre kan tilpasses norsk begrepsbruk og knyttes til eksisterende verktøy. Selv om resultatene fra SMART analysene fra de ti gårdene er gode, er det et for lite utvalg til å konkludere på bærekraft i en hel produksjonsform. I tillegg er bærekraft en prosess, og en bør være varsom med å konkludere med et nivå på hvor bærekraftig produksjonen er. Hovedkonklusjonen er at alltid å ha med helheten, er avgjørende for å kunne ta reelt bærekraftige beslutninger.Bærekraft i ammeku-produksjonen. En helhetlig tilnærming til bærekraftsbegrepet gjennom SAFA rammeverket og SMART verktøyetpublishedVersio