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Publications

NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.

2026

To document

Abstract

This paper explores imaginaries of food futures in Norway within a broader European context, combining sociological perspectives on consumption with a near-historical approach to the future. We argue that ideas about future food are never only forward-looking, but deeply shaped by past visions, cultural memories, and recurring narratives that continue to “haunt” contemporary food cultures. Drawing on the concept of imaginaries, and inspired by polytemporal perspectives on anticipation, the paper analyses how understandings of future food simultaneously mobilise past experiences, present concerns, and projected futures. The paper first reviews key strands of European literature on food futures, identifying dominant imaginaries ranging from techno-optimistic promises of innovation to dystopian fears of ecological collapse and industrialised eating. These are discussed in relation to historical imaginaries of future food, from early twentieth-century futurism to post-war and late-modern narratives. Against this backdrop, Norway is analysed as an empirical case that both reflects and reworks European food imaginaries. Empirically, the paper draws on diverse material including public policy documents, business strategies, advertisements, science fiction narratives, and consumer stories collected over time. Through a comparative analysis, we identify recurring tensions between technological control and ecological care, convenience and closeness, global systems and local self-sufficiency. We show how Norwegian food futures are shaped by a dynamic interplay between utopian, dystopian and more myopic imaginaries, oriented towards social closeness and everyday practices. The paper concludes by discussing how food futures imaginaries actively shape consumption cultures and sustainability debates in Europe, and how a polytemporal approach helps bridge the divide between static future visions and lived food practices.

To document

Abstract

This cross-country study examineed perceptions of maintenance for coated wooden cladding in residential buildings across Norway, Sweden, and Germany. As timber cladding gains popularity in European homes, understanding expectations around cleaning, recoating, and replacement intervals becomes increasingly important. An online survey gathered responses from over 3,000 participants aged 18–89, randomly selected from representative regional panels in each country. The survey focused on the perception of maintenance practices and intervals, while also collecting data on personality traits, risk aversion, and socioeconomic background. Perceived maintenance practices for coated timber cladding differed across countries, but individual characteristics were generally more influential than national context. Most respondents accepted longer cleaning intervals than recommended, while their preferences more closely aligned with guidelines for recoating. Acceptance of replacement intervals varied markedly by country. Longer acceptable maintenance intervals were associated with a higher preference for uncoated cladding, particularly in Germany and Sweden. Younger age, urban residence, limited experience, and selected demographic and personality traits were linked to more intensive maintenance preferences.