Building Resilience in Social-Ecological Food Systems in Vermont

There is an expanding interest in Local Food Systems (LFSs) in Vermont, along with a growing effort to create adaptive governance to facilitate action. In this case study, we investigate how adaptive governance of LFS can provide ideas and act as a catalyst for creating resilience in other social-ecological systems (SESs). By participating in meetings and interviewing stakeholders inside and outside the Vermont LFS network, we found that consumers were highly motivated to participate by supporting environmental issues, the local economy, and interactive communities, as well as building social relationships. Farmers experienced better income and increased respect in the local community. All participants found adequate “safe space” to share new ideas and explore partnerships. Their identities and values were also place-specific, reflecting the working landscape of Vermont. Adaptive governance was built on equal partnerships, where problems were discussed and responsibilities were shared among many stakeholders across geographic areas and multiple sectors. Some skepticism was expressed towards mainstreaming local food production and sales. Challenges remain to more fully include farmers, for-profit players, and low-income consumers in the network. This might limit the resilience and sustainability of the LFS. Because SESs are held together by common culture and identities, the risk of non-adaptive social patterns exemplifies one key challenge for future adaptive management towards resilient and sustainable outcomes. There is a critical need for developing relevant theory and conducting further research on LFSs and their potential roles in local SESs

Hvorfor jordvern? - Sammendrag av rapport som omhandler kunnskapsgrunnlag for jordvernstrategi i Follo-kommunene

Rapporten er utarbeidet som en kortversjon av revidert NIBIO rapport 105/2023, «Kunnskapsgrunnlag for jordvernstrategi i Follo-kommunene». Den omhandler jordas og jordbruksarealenes betydning i samfunnet og beskriver jordbruket i Follo-regionen, samt fordeling av jordbruksarealene og utviklingstrekk knyttet til disse. Videre beskrives årsaker til omdisponering og ulike virkemidler for jordvern i kommunene.Hvorfor jordvern? - Sammendrag av rapport som omhandler kunnskapsgrunnlag for jordvernstrategi i Follo-kommunenepublishedVersio

Kunnskapsgrunnlag for jordvernstrategi i Follo-kommunene

Rapporten er skrevet for å gi et best mulig kunnskapsgrunnlag for arbeid med jordvernstrategier i Follo-kommunene. Den omhandler jordas og jordbruksarealenes betydning i samfunnet og beskriver jordbruket i Follo-regionen, samt fordeling av jordbruksarealene og utviklingstrekk knyttet til disse. Videre beskrives årsaker til omdisponering og ulike virkemidler for jordvern i kommunene.Kunnskapsgrunnlag for jordvernstrategi i Follo-kommunenepublishedVersio

Farmland under urbanization pressure: conversion motivation among Norwegian landowners

Irreversible conversion of farmland to built-up land occurs globally. Despite farmlands’ importance for food supply agricultural businesses, little research investigates what motivates landowners to convert their land. This paper aims to fill this gap. Based on a survey among owners of farmland in Norway, we found significant correlations between social structures and landowners’ motivation for converting farmland, namely family understanding and willingness of other local landowners to convert their land. Values and interests were also significant; landowners emphasizing private interests and private property rights were most often motivated for conversion. Further, they often struggled to realize agricultural investments, and had limited agricultural income. Landowners located in highly productive agricultural areas, but facing urban growth, were significantly more motivated to convert farmland than others. They were also more often in contact with developers. This paper adds new empirical knowledge and develops theories to understand underlying farmland conversion causes among landowners, and provide insights for future policies

Hvordan er kommunenes evne til å forvalte jordvernet?

publishedVersio

Building Resilience in Social-Ecological Food Systems in Vermont

There is an expanding interest in Local Food Systems (LFSs) in Vermont, along with a growing effort to create adaptive governance to facilitate action. In this case study, we investigate how adaptive governance of LFS can provide ideas and act as a catalyst for creating resilience in other social-ecological systems (SESs). By participating in meetings and interviewing stakeholders inside and outside the Vermont LFS network, we found that consumers were highly motivated to participate by supporting environmental issues, the local economy, and interactive communities, as well as building social relationships. Farmers experienced better income and increased respect in the local community. All participants found adequate “safe space” to share new ideas and explore partnerships. Their identities and values were also place-specific, reflecting the working landscape of Vermont. Adaptive governance was built on equal partnerships, where problems were discussed and responsibilities were shared among many stakeholders across geographic areas and multiple sectors. Some skepticism was expressed towards mainstreaming local food production and sales. Challenges remain to more fully include farmers, for-profit players, and low-income consumers in the network. This might limit the resilience and sustainability of the LFS. Because SESs are held together by common culture and identities, the risk of non-adaptive social patterns exemplifies one key challenge for future adaptive management towards resilient and sustainable outcomes. There is a critical need for developing relevant theory and conducting further research on LFSs and their potential roles in local SESs

Jordressursar under press:

Artikkelen tar utgangspunkt i gapet som eksisterer mellom nasjonale jordvernmål og den lokale forvaltinga av jordressursar i Noreg. Teori om fleirnivådemokrati seier at styringa frå staten si side vil vera hard når dei nasjonale og dei lokale måla er i konflikt. Sjølv om måla her er i konflikt, finn me at lokalpolitikarane har eit stort lokalt handlingsrom i arealpolitikken. Problemstillinga for artikkelen er: Kva rolle spelar partipolitikk i lokal forvalting av norske jordressursar? Dette undersøker me ved å fyrst kartleggja partia sin jorbruksideologi på nasjonalt nivå, for deretter å sjå om denne nasjonale konfliktlinja påverkar den lokale forvaltninga av jordressursar der jordvernet står mot omsynet til private eigedomsrettar. Ein innhaldsanalyse av partiprogramma viser at det er stor usemje mellom partia langs denne konfliktlinja. Gjennom regresjonsanalysar av omdisponeringa i norske kommunar, finn me likevel ingen statistisk signifikant effekt av partipolitikk på forvaltinga av jordressursar lokalt. For å finna ut kvifor, utfører me ein komparativ casestudie av Spydeberg og Hobøl. Dei to kommunane er valde ut frå eit Most Similar Systems Design. Gjennom intervju med lokalpolitikarar og andre som jobbar med jordvern, finn me at partipolitikken også lokalt vert oppfatta å vera viktig i jordvernspørsmål. Likevel er det ei rekke lokalspesifikke årsaker til at omdisponering av dyrka jord skjer uavhengig av kva som står i partiprogrammet til partia som sit med makta. Hovudfunnet er at jordvernet vert vekta i ein lokal kontekst, ikkje ein partipolitisk. I så måte vil synleggjering av matjorda som eit kollektivt gode i lokalsamfunnet kunne styrka jordvernet

Building Resilience in Social-Ecological Food Systems in Vermont

There is an expanding interest in Local Food Systems (LFSs) in Vermont, along with a growing effort to create adaptive governance to facilitate action. In this case study, we investigate how adaptive governance of LFS can provide ideas and act as a catalyst for creating resilience in other social-ecological systems (SESs). By participating in meetings and interviewing stakeholders inside and outside the Vermont LFS network, we found that consumers were highly motivated to participate by supporting environmental issues, the local economy, and interactive communities, as well as building social relationships. Farmers experienced better income and increased respect in the local community. All participants found adequate “safe space” to share new ideas and explore partnerships. Their identities and values were also place-specific, reflecting the working landscape of Vermont. Adaptive governance was built on equal partnerships, where problems were discussed and responsibilities were shared among many stakeholders across geographic areas and multiple sectors. Some skepticism was expressed towards mainstreaming local food production and sales. Challenges remain to more fully include farmers, for-profit players, and low-income consumers in the network. This might limit the resilience and sustainability of the LFS. Because SESs are held together by common culture and identities, the risk of non-adaptive social patterns exemplifies one key challenge for future adaptive management towards resilient and sustainable outcomes. There is a critical need for developing relevant theory and conducting further research on LFSs and their potential roles in local SESs