Different approaches to the new partnership between tourism and agriculture.

New sources of value adding:

Geiranger 29th of august 2005

By Political Adviser, Maren Hersleth Holsen

Dear Conferees and friends!
It’s a pleasure for me as a representative of the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food to meet you all at this beautiful place of Geiranger.

First of all, congratulation Geiranger with the entry to UNESCOs world heritage list the 14 ^th> of July. In company with Nærøyfjorden we now have two fjord- landscapes in the western part of Norway on this renowned list.

Perhaps no place is more suitable to talk about the partnership between agriculture and tourism than just here at this amazing fjord, Geiranger. This spectacular emerald green fjord, with it’s steep hillsides, white waterfalls and small farms lying on the edge of this precipitous hillsides, makes this area a really hot spot for tourists from all over the world. And to quote UNESCOs world heritage committee in the argument of their decision nominating the Geiranger- and Nærøyfjord on the list; “They are among the most beautiful fjord-landscape on earth”, I totally agree!

“On the top of the world” was the title on a five pages article written in Time Magazine this summer, about the coast of Norway and the trip with the ship-company Hurtigruta. Time Magazine reporter Lydia Itois describes her journey with the ship, King Harald in the following way: “ The description of the Norwegian coast is doomed to become insufficient. This journey has taught me everything about splendor and beauty. I wished the journey would never stop!”

I think many of us, who have been traveling with “Hurtigruta” along the Norwegian fjords and coast, can corroborate her statement. This landscape, formed throughout thousands of years with glaciers is definitively a magnificent view!

Norwegian Agriculture/ Landbruk Pluss
Compared with the mountains and forests which dominate the landscape in Norway, the cultivated farming land forms only 3 per cent of the Norwegian mainland. Norway’s mainland is in total distance about 1750 km, greater than the distance between Oslo and Rome. That is one of the reasons we have large diversity in the sizes and the activities on the farms.

Structural adjustment of the agricultural sector has contributed and will continue to contribute to reduction in overall cost levels, and number of operative farms. In countries like Norway the potential for structural adjustment in terms of large-scale production is restricted by natural conditions, partly because fields and farms are relatively scattered. Evenly with a shift to larger production units, overall costs would still be very high, suggesting that costs relating to labour and natural conditions are very important. Agriculture is site-specific and requires locally adapted know-how and competence relating to for instance microclimates, soils, pests and diseases. If agricultural production is abandoned in a specific region such site-specific competence is likely to get lost.

The increase in efficiency of Norwegian agriculture will proceed. Simultaneously, we will arrange alternative economic development with a starting point in the individual farm, and render living in the rural districts more attractive. This strategy is called ”Landbruk Pluss”, Agriculture Plus, and has the intention to develop an agricultural policy with enhanced focus on venture development, innovation and settlement and property policy, including a further cost efficiency of the traditional farming. This strategy will include and involve all policy areas within the Ministry’s legislation.

The objective of this program is to ensure the following:

• Vital local communities in rural districts with good and modern housing and living terms.
• Market oriented production of goods and services.
• Increased democratisation and transmission of authority to regional and local level within the policies of agriculture and forestry.

Landbruk Pluss will conclude at the end of this year, but the experiences so far, is positive.

Agriculture and Tourism
One big challenge for the increase in the number of non-operative farms is to generate sufficient economic subsistence for living. Fortunately

Tourism is becoming an increasingly significant source of income for many farms, and for many farmers in rural districts it has proved a welcome livelihood as traditional economic activities have declined.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food has since 1986 supported development of rural tourism. In the beginning some farmers were skeptical and the traditional tourist industry were skeptical as well. But today we can see many examples of successful co-operation between the traditional tourist industry and farms that offer activities or food experiences, and the professionalism of the farmers who work seriously with tourism has increased considerable.

Lots of farmers have developed excellent products and have a good corporation with the tourist industry. Small charming farm-shops, local and homemade food served with poems and music and accommodation in old storehouses on the farm, are some products offered on different farms.

Lots of farms have large resources connected to rivers and lakes. Tourist products like salmon- and trout-angling have over 100-years tradition in Norway. Fishing tourism, and lately big game hunting tourism for moose, are generating considerable additional income for many farmers. Outlying fields are abundant all over Norway outside the city centers, and hold plenty of unused potential for different tourist activities, and potential income for farmers.

Agriculture and cultural heritage/ Mountain farming
Agriculture contributes to our material and immaterial cultural heritage. Today, material traces of agricultural activity, for instance in terms of farm buildings, saeter cottages and landscapes, represent valuable cultural monuments and landscapes, which are irreplaceable sources to knowledge and experience related to the history of human beings since ancient times. The immaterial heritage includes traditional knowledge relating to farming practices and relevant on-farm activities as regards resources and resource use, farming techniques and sustainability issues.

The cultural heritage provides stability, historical continuity, identity and the sense of belonging, both at the local, regional and national level. In addition, preserving cultural diversity in the field of agriculture may as an important data base for competence and knowledge, enable us to meet future challenges in the fields of conservation and sustainable management of natural resources.

Mountain farming is an ancient way of using our resources in Norway. Written laws already in the 11 ^th> century regulate the procedures relating to this activity. About 1850 there were probably about 100.000 active mountain farms in Norway, today there are about 1500-2000 left. The many saeter cottages are becoming more and more popular for tourists. Quite unique for the mountain farms in Norway are that we still can find vital mountain farms-environment in rural fjord and coast districts, and not only in the rural mountain districts.

Norwegian Heritage is an organization that works to preserve our cultural heritage. Their task is to see that the historic environment of Norway is properly cared for. Their strategy in this matter is to create trade value from our cultural values – to maintain them for the present and the future. With their motto, “Preservation through utilisation" they aim at preservation of the past - for the future – by means of a living present.

Olavsrosa, or the Rose of Olav, is Norwegian Heritage’s label of quality. This label shows some of Norwegian Heritage’s best experiences, and is a guarantee of sustainable use of the national cultural heritage. Today more than 90 cultural heritage products are assigned Olavsrosa. A number of these are old farms and mountain farms, in addition we find fishing villages, lighthouses, fishermen’s sharks, old hotels etc.

The mountain farming landscape holds special biological values, and has peculiar qualities of experience. For the tourist industry the mountain farming landscape will be of great importance for the quality of many destinations. The saeter cottages and their characteristic surroundings will be a special attraction for the tourist industry, especially if someone can tell the tourists about the history and the connection between many years with mountain farming and today’s biology and landscape. The Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food now focus on industrial and commercial development in connection with the mountain farms. The county of Møre og Romsdal, where Geiranger is situated, is one of three counties in Norway which are into a pilot project starting up this autumn.

Agriculture and architectural heritage
Norway has more medieval timber houses than any other country in the world. The majority of our 233 profane medieval timber houses are located on the place where they were originally built, and they are still in use.

In Norway there are more than 375 000 buildings from before 1900. Spot checks have shown that up to 1 per cent of our old buildings are lost every year. If we continue to loose buildings from before 1900 at the present rate, there will be practically none left in 80 years!

Fundamental social trends such as population growth, industrial development and the development of communications put pressure on both the architectural heritage and other cultural monuments and sites. Since urbanization speeded up at the end of the 1800s, productive agricultural areas around the original town centers have been swallowed up. Towns and urban settlements are spreading across the landscape. Older agricultural buildings may fall into disrepair or be left isolated among newer developments, no longer part of a larger whole.

A great deal of our older architectural heritage is related to agriculture, and is therefore particularly vulnerable to the changes that are taking place in farming practices.

The development we see in traditional farming may both be a threat and an opportunity for these old buildings. Fortunately farmers who work with tourism are mostly aware the value of their old buildings, and take very good care of them. I have to commend the effort that has been made by locals and support given by regional authorities, to restore old building and mountain-farms along the fjord of Geiranger. These are national treasures, which we all are very proud of.

Increased diversity in local and traditional food
Food is much more than only food. Food is experiences, and food is a culture bearer. There has been a growing interest for the Norwegian rustic food lately. Each farm has its own story to tell, about their traditions, culture and history. The Norwegian farms are rich in traditions dealing with for instance food. An increasing diversity of small-scale enterprises has been a pleasant and positive development the later years. The Government has allocated about 100 millions Norwegian Kroners to value adding program for food the latest years. This has lead to lots of interesting and creative initiatives among the small-scale food-producers.

The Norwegian Minister of Agriculture and Food, Lars Sponheim, unveiled the road sign for rural district tourism and farm-food, at the 16 ^th> of June this year. The farm Rudi which offers lots of different activities like cultural events, traditional farm-food service etc, was the first farm to get the road sign, with its characteristic cock figure.

I think it’s of great importance to make these exciting farms, with a diversity of attraction, visible along the Norwegian roads. First and foremost this road sign will facilitate the arrival for customers and tourist, but it will also increase the status of this product among people.

The Government in office has worked hard to improve the situation for farmers that want to start up additional industries on their farm. Throughout this effort the diversity of Norwegian Cheese-producers has increased considerably. Today we have about 140 cheese-enterprises that produce about 500 different cheeses in Norway; soon we will catch up with France!

The Rica project
The last six months there has been a corporation between the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Innovation Norway and the Rica-hotels on initiating a project on small-scale food. Some of the hotels in the Rica-chain have increased the focus on local produced food. These hotels offer food from local suppliers, and use this active in promotion and marketing. Today, 20 per cent of all food served at the Rica Nidelven Hotel in Trondheim is local food. The chef, Mikal Forselius, emphasize that the hotel then gets safe food with high quality, and in return the hotel gets an identity – a successful partnership!

DNT
The Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food have also an interesting ongoing project in corporation with The Norwegian Mountain Touring Association (DNT). This organization has existed for 135 years and is famous for trademark red T’s and cabins all over Norway. The project involves about 15 of their many operative cabins, and is about serving local and short-traveled food to the guests on the cabins. This project called “Local food and food culture at DNT’s cabins”, has been a great success, and has increased the numbers of visitors at the cabins, and has got lot of positive attention in the media.

I’m happy to inform you that during the boat trip on the Geirangerfjord tonight, there will be served tastes of local food from the county of Møre and Romsdal. I’m really looking forward to this happening, and I can assure you, there will be lots of tasty and culinary products, with history and distinctive stamp.

Climate change, agriculture and landscape
Perhaps the largest threat to the Norwegian cultivated landscape is the global climate change. Continuing to add carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere is projected to lead to significant and persistent change in climate, including an increase in average global temperature of 1.4 to 5,8˚C over the course of this century. Computer models of the global climate predict an even larger temperature rise in northern latitudes, e.g. in northern Norway. We can already see the tree-line is moving northward and to higher elevations. Today forest and wooded land cover 39 per cent of the land area in Norway. Despite extensive grazing of sheep, goats and cattle this portion will rise. Reforestation is a big challenge for the cultivated landscape in Norway.

To maintain the beautiful landscape mosaic that we can see along most of the Norwegian fjords, we need individuals that cultivate the landscape and keeps stocks of sheep and other grazing animals. Sparsely populated areas all over Norway depend on operative farms, to keep the landscape open and attractive for the tourists.

Here in the county of Møre and Romsdal they have initiated an interesting project called “From scrub to kroners”, to solve the problem of roadside-ditches overgrown with trees. These “green tunnels” grown up the last decades, is not exactly what the tourists prefer to watch when they drive along our beautiful country. The road authorities now remove scrubs and trees from the roadside ditches, and use the wood to fire wood and bio-energy. This corporation has been successful and has developed into a profitable industry. Funds from the public policy system concerning environment, and funds from the road authorities to improve the traffic-safety, have resulted in a cost-effective alternative of warming. This is a good example of an innovative project in corporation between different sectors, and that gives advantages for everybody, including the tourist industry.

The global warming is something irreversible that we unfortunately have to accept as a term for the future. Increase in the temperature will extend the growth season and accelerate the reforestation. Both for the Norwegian agriculture and for Norwegian tourist industry this will change their external conditions.

The multifunctional agriculture
The agriculture produces more than food and digestive calories. Beyond its primary role of producing food and fiber, agriculture also contributes to the variability of rural areas, food security, the cultural heritage and environmental benefits such as the agriculture landscape, agro-biological diversity, land conservation and high standards of plant, animal and public health. Most of these public goods cannot be disassociated from the agriculture production. These additional functions are elements in what we call a multifunctional agriculture.

Viable rural communities
In Norway agriculture continues to play a significant role in rural areas. On average, agriculture contributes to about 16 per cent of total employment in those communities that are classified as rural. Many remote rural communities within a municipality are heavily dependent on agriculture. Many of these communities are faced with few alternative employment opportunities.

True experiences in Geiranger
Small abandoned farms along the fjord of Geiranger’s banks such as Skageflå, Blomberg and Knivsflå, tells the story of our ancestors mode of living and are a witness of their hard work in an inhospitable environment. Someone has described the mountainsides so steep that it was hard to bow there. Stories about the farmer’s children tied to the trees by their legs for fear of them falling of the cliff, make an impression. It is food for thought and reflection when you see these small places, an imagine how they kept days going by farming, hunting, catching, fishing in the fjord and in the lakes in mountain.

Landscape values, use and protection
Thousands of years of farming have formed the landscape. Such agricultural landscapes, beyond their recreational, aesthetic and historical qualities provide at present a range of habitats and are home for a considerable number of wild species at all taxonomic levels. As much as 30 per cent of the species found on the Norwegian “Red-list” of threaten species, are found in the cultivated landscapes. Preserving bio-diversity therefore depends on the maintenance of these cultivated landscapes. In several cases even specific farm methods may need to be continued.

Everyone in Norway has a wide-ranging right of access to the countryside, originally a traditional right but now set out in the legislation. But it is important to remember that this right is based on respect for the nature and that visitors must always show consideration for farmers and landowners, other users and the environment. Many people say that the quality of their lives and their health improve when they have opportunities for outdoor recreation on an everyday basis and during holidays.

Concluding remarks
Before I finish I will give some concluding remarks. - I will claim that the tourist industry in Norway needs the agriculture, and the tourist industry will become more and more dependent on the agriculture. This partnership has old traditions in many areas, but I’m sure this good corporation will develop further in the years to come, and many more local partnerships will be seen.

The rural districts in the county of Møre and Romsdal have lots of spectacular attractions with a great potential in relation to the tourist industry. The county has lots of important sights for people that arrive along the fjord and by the road, and as many as nearly 700.000 visit Geiranger and Trollstigen every year. The tourist industry is a growth industry all over the world, including Norway. The decrease in the number of operative farms the last years will probably proceed. Lots of farmers need new sources of income, and a partnership with the tourist industry could be a successful solution for more farmers.

Local partnerships with the focus on quality, and products that holds a history, culture, tradition, tasty food and memorable experiences – which are authentic, is something plenty of farmers all over Norway have the possibility to offer.

The national authorities will continue to emphasize developing suitable external conditions, for the development of the partnership between agriculture and tourism. Finally, I need to express my gratefulness for being given this possibility to talk about this important topic at this excellent conference here in Geiranger! I’m sure that an extensive partnership between the agriculture and the tourist industry is more than a dream for the future – but is a vision that will come true!

Thank you very much!