The Norwegian Association of Natural Scientists (Naturviterne) is a trade union, which organised a breakfast seminar on sustainability and organic food. Production, perspectives and myths became the main topics of discussion.
Organic food arose many questions, and many dietologists believe that organic food (OF) is romanticised. According to Arne Grønlund from theNorwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), OF production appears to be natural, that’s why the consumers see it as a positive aspect and healthy one.
Meanwhile, the government of Norway intends to reach the volume of OF up to 15 percent of all food grown in the country food by 2020. Now this figure is 3 percent, by the way.
The Norwegian researchers who attended on Naturviterne’s seminar disagreed over whether or not OF production is actually sustainable. Arne Grønlund explains why:
“But what the consumer doesn’t think about is that agriculture is in no way natural. Food produced using agricultural means is not produced in harmony with nature, whether it is grown by organic or conventional methods.”
The positive effect of organic methods is the innovation in the agriculture and farming. Undoubtedly, it is a real stimulus for the development of this sphere. Often, the farmers in the lead are the innovators. Only afterwards is there research to check what they have done to see if the method can be recommended for wide use.
