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.
2025
Abstract
Urban agriculture is often considered a tool to increase the economic, social and environmental sustainability of cities and city food systems. However, sustainability is difficult to measure, resulting in debate about how sustainable urban agriculture truly is. There is therefore a lack of incentive to promote urban agriculture or protect existing initiatives that are threatened by development pressure on urban land. Monitoring the sustainability impact of urban agriculture could provide evidence and enable politicians and decision makers to make informed decisions about whether and where to prioritise different forms of urban agriculture above competing interests. We used case examples from five European cities to identify the challenges involved in monitoring urban agriculture, from selecting indicators and gathering data, to using the results. We found large differences in approach in terms of what topics to monitor and who was responsible, who gathered the data and when, what data was recorded and how they were stored, and how findings were disseminated or published. Based on these experiences, we recommend stronger involvement of existing interest groups and educational institutions in monitoring urban agriculture, and promotion of convenient tools for data collection by citizen science and for long-term data storage.
Abstract
Urban agriculture has the potential to contribute to more sustainable cities, but its impacts are complex and varied. By implementing robust monitoring systems, cities can better understand the true effects of urban farming initiatives. This evidence can then inform smarter policies and more effective urban planning strategies.
2024
Abstract
Semi-natural grasslands are amongst the most species-rich habitats in Scandinavia and elsewhere in Europe. However, the ecological values of these habitats are threatened, by intensification of agriculture in some areas and by abandonment in others. A key question is whether current measures aiming to protect this biodiversity in Norway are in fact successful. We evaluated, in the field, the condition of 55 localities of semi-natural pastures and hay meadows recorded in the Norwegian nature database, Naturbase. We found that only 20 localities (36%) were receiving the agri-environmental subsidies for which they were all eligible. All but one of the localities receiving the subsidies were in fair to good condition, compared with just 41% of the localities that did not receive subsidies. However, only four the 16 most valuable localities, those classed as nationally important, received agri-environmental subsidies. Through a questionnaire to landowners, we found that many were not aware of the biodiversity value on their properties. Of 33 respondents, 20 (61%) knew that they had these valuable ecosystems on their property, whilst 13 (39%) did not. Further, twenty respondents were not aware that they were eligible for financial support to maintain their species-rich grasslands. We conclude that to achieve long-term conservation in habitats dependent on management, it is essential to improve dialogue with landowners.
Authors
Diress Tsegaye Alemu Christian Pedersen Svein Olav Krøgli Anders Bryn Kerstin Potthoff Wenche DramstadAbstract
Mountain areas in Norway provide important resources for livestock grazing. These resources are crucial for agricultural production in a country with limited agricultural land and a climate and topography that restrict production of feed and food. A key contributor in the harvest of these resources has been mountain summer farming and outfield grazing in general. However, the use of mountainous grazing resources has been declining strongly for several decades with the regrowth of formerly open areas as a consequence. In contrast, recreational use, number of holiday cabins and associated infrastructure is rapidly increasing. Conflicts between recreational and agriculture use have received increasing attention in different media. We investigated the spatial patterns of cabin development and key grazing areas in Norwegian mountain areas, analysing data on livestock, cabins, and associated infrastructure. We found a large number of cabins and associated infrastructure within high-quality grazing areas indicating that the quality of grazing has not been adequately considered in the location of new cabins. Taking into consideration that cabin development seems not to decrease, the reduced availability of grazing resources may result in an increasing level of conflict and also impact food security in the long run.
Abstract
The Norwegian monitoring programme for agricultural landscapes has been running for 25 years, collecting data on status and change in agricultural landscapes. The programme is based on mapping of a thousand 1 x 1km squares from aerial photographs, with field work to record birds and plants at around 10 % of the squares. In 2021, the programme introduced field recording of butterflies and bumblebees along a 1 km transect at ten monitoring squares. In spite of the low number of sites, we found a clear trend between landscape spatial structure and number of pollinators. Both the number of individuals and number of species increased with increasing landscape heterogeneity. This mirrored patterns that have been detected in the monitoring of farmland birds. Much is known about how to improve farming landscapes for pollinators. In Norway, agri-environmental subsides are available to encourage the management of flowery pollinator zones adjacent to arable land. First, farmers received payment to sow nectar-rich plants such as the non-native Phacelia tanacetifolia in field margins. Then higher subsidy rates were introduced for using seed mixes of regional plant species. The latest development is payment for managing zones adjacent to the crop, typically woodland edges. This saves agricultural soil for food production, whilst expanding the role of farmers in contributing to pollinator-friendly landscapes.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered