New potential in old varieties : Using landrace cereal to meet food production challenges

Landrace cereals – historical varieties characterised by high genetic diversity – have long been considered obsolete, and have almost completely been replaced by high yielding but high input-dependent cultivars. However, the need for increased multifunctional and low-input farming, and for finding varieties that can be robust to environmental stresses, has meant that these old varieties have been revalued. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the potential of landrace cereals in modern farming, and how landrace performance is influenced by environmental conditions and farmers’ management practices. By using a transdisciplinary perspective involving farmers’ experiences and motivations as well as field experiments and onfarm experiments, the results indicate that landraces have traits that can contribute to multifunctional farming systems and be used for farming on marginal lands, i.e. lands with poor soil fertility. Landrace spring wheat was shown to be providing similar yields as modern varieties under low-to-medium input organic conditions, and landrace of spring wheat and rye are shown to provide additional ecological services beyond yield, such as weed suppression and a high straw yield. These additional services were found to be valued by farmers that use landrace cereals, and be important for their cropping systems. However, challenges like lack of knowledge on landrace management, e.g. seed borne diseases, and restrictions in seed legislation hinder a further expansion of the landrace cereal cultivation. In conclusion, this study shows that, with appropriate management, landraces can have potential in organic farming, or for farming in environmentally challenging conditions, and can contribute to increased food security and sustainability of food production

Combining production with preservation : livelihood strategies and innovations on nature pasture based farms in Dalsland, Sweden

Biodiversity loss is a global problem that can lead to serious consequences. One of the most biodiverse habitats today is the product of extensive agriculture: semi-natural pastures, often termed High Nature Value (HNV) pasture. As farms become more and more intensive and specialised, these pastures disappear increasingly. This study aims to investigate how farmers can combine conservation of HNV pastures with profitable farming. In a qualitative case study in northern Dalsland, Sweden, ten pasture-based farms with HNV pastures have been studied. The case-study was conducted as a part of an action-oriented research and extension project, HNV-Link. The interview study has been complemented by participant observations at six visionary workshops about the future and background for HNV pastures with local actors in Dalsland. By applying a Sustainable Livelihood analysis, eight different types of activities and innovations were identified that supported the farmers’ Livelihood strategies, together with resources and social factors that influenced and inspired the farmers in forming the strategies. The farmers’ own motivation and values concerning the farm was an important factor, and three types of value orientation were used to discuss the differences: economical, traditional and ecological value orientation. Social networks with other farmers, either local or in other contexts, played an important role in spreading innovations and new ideas on how strategies could be formed to suit HNV pasture production, ideas that were later adapted to the specific conditions of the farm. Innovations and ideas for new entire strategies could come either from outside, from market initiatives or agricultural science, or from the farmers themselves. Depending on the outward and inward factors, the farmers innovated or adopted innovations that suited their farm. Important livelihood supporting activities and innovations were those related to utilizing pasture growth, diversifying the farm and using market solutions to receive payment for the ecological values of the production.Förlust av biologisk mångfald är ett globalt problem som kan leda till allvarliga konsekvenser. En av de mest artrika miljöer som finns idag är avhängigt av lantbruk: naturbetesmarker, ibland benämnda som HNV (High Nature Value) betesmarker. Allteftersom gårdar blir mer och mer intensifierade och specialiserade så för svinner den här typen av marker i högre och högre utsträckning. Den här studien syftar till att undersöka hur lantbrukare kan kombinera bevarande av HNV-beten med lönsamt lantbrukande. I en kvalitativ fallstudie in norra Dalsland, Sverige, så har lantbrukare vid tio naturbetesbaserade lantbruk blivit intervjuade. Fallstudien genomfördes som en del av ett aktionsforsknings-orienterat forsknings- och rådgivningsprojekt, HNVLink. Intervjustudien kompletterades av deltagande observationer vid sex visionerande workshops om framtiden och bakgrunden för värdefulla naturbetesmarkertillsammans med lokala aktörer i Dalsland. Genom att analysera lantbrukares försörjning genom analysverktyget Sustainable Livelihood Analysis, så identifierades åtta typer av försörjningsstrategier och innovationer. Analysen fokuserade på gårdens resurser tillsammans med sociala faktorer samt med trender, hinder och möjligheter i omvärlden som påverkade och inspirerade lantbrukare när de utformade försörjningsstrategier. En viktig faktor bakom utformandet av strategier var lantbrukarnas egna motivation och värdegrund. I studien användes tre kategorier för att diskutera skillnader i värdegrund: ekonomiskt, ekologiskt eller traditionellt inriktad värdegrund. Sociala nätverk var viktiga in spridandet av nya idéer om försörjningsstrategier och innovationer för naturbetesbaserad produktion, både nätverk med lantbrukare i närområdet eller i andra sammanhang. Nya idéer kunde komma antingen utifrån, från marknadsinitiativ eller från lantbruksvetenskap, eller från lantbrukarna själva. Beroende på faktorer utifrån eller inifrån gården så tog lantbrukaren till sig innovationer och anpassade till sin verksamhet, eller uppfann helt egna lösningar. Bland exemplen av aktiviteter och innovationer som utgjorde viktiga delar av gårdarnas försörjningsstrategier fanns både system som optimerade betestillväxten, diversifierade gårdens verksamhet eller marknadsbaserade lösningar som gjorde det möjligt för lantbrukarna att få betalt för de ekologiska värden som skapades av produktionen

Speaking of the cows... : positioning Swedish native breeds of cattle in discourses about production and preservation

Vilken plats har lantraskor i dagens rationaliserade och högproducerande lantbruk och hur bidrar de till försörjningsmöjligheterna på landsbygden? Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka hur lantraskors egenskaper beskrivs, och hur detta positionerar dem som lämpliga för olika typer av produktion. Uppsatsen grundas i en intervjustudie med lantbrukare som bedriver produktion med lantraskor. Detta kompletteras med intervjuer med representanter från de respektive avelsföreningarna för lantraserna Fjällko, Rödkulla, Fjällnära ko samt allmogekor (Bohuskulla, Ringemålako och Väneko). Genom att analysera materialet med kritisk diskursanalys identifieras centrala teman i diskursen om lantrasernas produktion. Tyngdpunkten i diskussionen ligger på hur lantraskorna positioneras i en diskurs som lämpade för olika produktionsinriktningar för lantbruk, främst för alternativa och mångsidiga produktionssystem som småbruk, fäbodbruk och småskalig framställning av livsmedel. Detta formuleras i diskursen som en viktig faktor för lantbruks överlevand, och i slutändan en diversifierad och hållbara landsbygd.What position has the native cattle breeds in the modern rational and high producing agriculture of Sweden, and how do they add to the means of livelihood in the countryside? The purpose of this essay is to examine how the native cattle are described and positioned as suitable for different kinds of production. The essay is based on a field study with farmers in Sweden who keep native cattle breeds and use them in production. This is supplemented with interviews with representatives from the breeding associations responsible for the native breeds Fjällko, Rödkulla, Fjällnära ko and Allmogeko (including Bohuskulla, Ringemålako and Väneko). By applying critical discourse analysis, several key themes are identified in a discourse about production with native breeds. The discussion is focused on how the native cattle are positioned in the discourse as suitable for different kind of agricultural production, mostly small-scale farms, farms using a summer- farm system and farms with small-scale food production. This is presented in the discourse as a important way to diversify farms and enable them to survive, which in the end contributes to a diverse and sustainable countryside

Consumer Awareness, Attitudes and Preferences Towards Heritage Cereals

Interest in heritage cereals is increasing among consumers, bakeries and farmers, and the trends point towards the local production of crops and connect to sustainability. The most known variety is spelt, which has opened up for old landraces such as Oland wheat. Heritage cereals have shown a higher resilience than modern varieties and have the potential to supply the market with alternative products that have an attractive cultural background. Delicious and nutritious products based on heritages cereals have a growing market potential. Consumers' attitudes and preferences to different products are affected by factors such as age, gender and education. The aim of this study was to investigate and analyse different consumer groups' awareness, attitudes and preferences toward heritage cereals. The number of respondents who participated in this study and answered the web-based questionnaire was 434. It can be concluded that most consumers are aware of heritage cereals. Geographic background had an influence, while academic background did not. Bread and pasta are the most consumed products and are regarded as the most popular future products to be based on heritage cereals. The most essential factors in bread are taste and flavour, followed by freshness and texture. The origin of the cereal and its health aspects are important; women are more concerned about the origin than men, while older consumers are more concerned about health. Older consumers are also more willing to pay extra for heritage cereal than younger consumers

Saving, sharing and shaping landrace seeds in commons:unravelling seed commoning norms for furthering agrobiodiversity

One of the major challenges facing agricultural and food systems today is the loss of agrobiodiversity. Considering the current impasse of preventing the worldwide loss of crop diversity, this paper highlights the possibility for a radical reorientation of current legal seed frameworks that could provide more space for alternative seed systems to evolve which centre on norms that support on-farm agrobiodiversity. Understanding the underlying norms that shape seed commons are important, since norms both delimit and contribute to what ultimately will constitute the seeds and who will ultimately have access to the seeds and thus to the extent to which agrobiodiversity is upheld and supported. This paper applies a commoning approach to explore the underpinning norms of a Swedish seed commons initiative and discusses the potential for furthering agrobiodiversity in the context of wider legal and authoritative discourses on seed enclosure. The paper shows how the seed commoning system is shaped and protected by a particular set of farming norms, which allows for sharing seeds among those who adhere to the norms but excludes those who will not. The paper further illustrates how farmers have been able to navigate fragile legal and economic pathways to collectively organize around landrace seeds, which function as an epistemic farming community, that maintain landraces from the past and shape new landraces for the present, adapted to diverse agro-ecological environments for low-input agriculture. The paper reveals how the ascribed norms to the seed commons in combination with the current seed laws set a certain limit to the extent to which agrobiodiversity is upheld and supported and discusses why prescriptions of “getting institutions right” for seed governance are difficult at best, when considering the shifting socio-nature of seeds. To further increase agrobiodiversity, the paper suggests future seed laws are redirected to the sustenance of a proliferation of protected seed commoning systems that can supply locally adapted plant material for diverse groups of farmers and farming systems.</p

Saving, sharing and shaping landrace seeds in commons:unravelling seed commoning norms for furthering agrobiodiversity

One of the major challenges facing agricultural and food systems today is the loss of agrobiodiversity. Considering the current impasse of preventing the worldwide loss of crop diversity, this paper highlights the possibility for a radical reorientation of current legal seed frameworks that could provide more space for alternative seed systems to evolve which centre on norms that support on-farm agrobiodiversity. Understanding the underlying norms that shape seed commons are important, since norms both delimit and contribute to what ultimately will constitute the seeds and who will ultimately have access to the seeds and thus to the extent to which agrobiodiversity is upheld and supported. This paper applies a commoning approach to explore the underpinning norms of a Swedish seed commons initiative and discusses the potential for furthering agrobiodiversity in the context of wider legal and authoritative discourses on seed enclosure. The paper shows how the seed commoning system is shaped and protected by a particular set of farming norms, which allows for sharing seeds among those who adhere to the norms but excludes those who will not. The paper further illustrates how farmers have been able to navigate fragile legal and economic pathways to collectively organize around landrace seeds, which function as an epistemic farming community, that maintain landraces from the past and shape new landraces for the present, adapted to diverse agro-ecological environments for low-input agriculture. The paper reveals how the ascribed norms to the seed commons in combination with the current seed laws set a certain limit to the extent to which agrobiodiversity is upheld and supported and discusses why prescriptions of “getting institutions right” for seed governance are difficult at best, when considering the shifting socio-nature of seeds. To further increase agrobiodiversity, the paper suggests future seed laws are redirected to the sustenance of a proliferation of protected seed commoning systems that can supply locally adapted plant material for diverse groups of farmers and farming systems.</p

Combining preservation with production : livelihood strategies and innovations on nature pasture based farms in Dalsland, Sweden

Biodiversity loss is a global problem that can lead to serious consequences. One of the most biodiverse habitats today is the product of extensive agriculture: semi-natural pastures, often termed High Nature Value (HNV) pasture. As farms become more and more intensive and specialised, these pastures disappear increasingly. This study aims to investigate how farmers can combine conservation of HNV pastures with profitable farming. In a qualitative case study in northern Dalsland, Sweden, ten pasture-based farms with HNV pastures have been interviewed. The case-study was conducted as a part of an action-oriented research and extension project, HNV-Link. The interview study has been complemented by participant observations at six visionary workshops about the future and background for HNV pastures with local actors in Dalsland. By applying a Sustainable Livelihood analy-sis, eight different types of activities and innovations were identified that supported the farmers’ Livelihood strategies, together with resources and social factors that influenced and inspired the farmers in forming the strategies. The farmers’ own motivation and values concerning the farm was an important factor, and three types of value orientation were used to discuss the differences: economical, tradi-tional and ecological value orientation. Social networks with other farmers, either local or in other contexts, played an important role in spreading innovations and new ideas on how strategies could be formed to suit HNV pasture production, ideas that were later adapted to the specific conditions of the farm. Innovations and ideas for new entire strategies could come either from outside, from market initia-tives or agricultural science, or from the farmers themselves. Depending on the outward and inward factors, the farmers innovated or adopted innovations that suited their farm. Important livelihood supporting activities and innovations were those related to utilizing pasture growth, diversifying the farm and using market solutions to receive payment for the ecological values of the production.Förlust av biologisk mångfald är ett globalt problem som kan leda till allvarliga konsekvenser. En av de mest artrika miljöer som finns idag är avhängigt av lantbruk: naturbetesmarker, ibland benämnda som HNV (High Nature Value) betesmarker. Allteftersom gårdar blir mer och mer intensifierade och specialiserade så försvinner den här typen av marker i högre och högre utsträckning. Den här studien syftar till att undersöka hur lantbrukare kan kombinera bevarande av HNV-beten med lönsamt lantbrukande. I en kvalitativ fallstudie in norra Dalsland, Sverige, så har lantbrukare vid tio naturbetesbaserade lantbruk blivit intervjuade. Fallstudien genomfördes som en del av ett aktionsforsknings-orienterat forsknings- och rådgivningsprojekt, HNVLink. Intervjustudien kompletterades av deltagande observationer vid sex visionerande workshops om framtiden och bakgrunden för värdefulla naturbetesmarkertillsammans med lokala aktörer i Dalsland. Genom att analysera lantbrukares försörjning genom analysverktyget Sustainable Livelihood Analysis, så identifierades åtta typer av försörjningsstrategier och innovationer. Analysen fokuserade på gårdens resurser tillsammans med sociala faktorer samt med trender, hinder och möjligheter i omvärlden som påverkade och inspirerade lantbrukare när de utformade försörjningsstrategier. En viktig faktor bakom utformandet av strategier var lantbrukarnas egna motivation och värdegrund. I studien användes tre kategorier för att diskutera skillnader i värdegrund: ekonomiskt, ekologiskt eller traditionellt inriktad värdegrund. Sociala nätverk var viktiga in spridandet av nya idéer om försörjningsstrategier och innovationer för naturbetesbaserad produktion, både nätverk med lantbrukare i närområdet eller i andra sammanhang. Nya idéer kunde komma antingen utifrån, från marknadsinitiativ eller från lantbruksvetenskap, eller från lantbrukarna själva. Beroende på faktorer utifrån eller inifrån gården så tog lantbrukaren till sig innovationer och anpassade till sin verksamhet, eller uppfann helt egna lösningar. Bland exemplen av aktiviteter och innovationer som utgjorde viktiga delar av gårdarnas försörjningsstrategier fanns både system som optimerade betestillväxten, diversifierade gårdens verksamhet eller marknadsbaserade lösningar som gjorde det möjligt för lantbrukarna att få betalt för de ekologiska värden som skapades av produktionen.M-A