VALUATION OF LAND AND FUTURE ACCESS TO PRODUCTIVE SOIL

In the local paper BT yesterday we could read an article by Gerd Lithun, cand. agric., at the University in Bergen (UiB).

Here is a short summary in english, whole article can be read here, (norwegian only I´m afraid).

By Norwegian law polititians are committed to see to that productive soil is used to no other purpose (than production of food, fibers etc).
Still 13 000 acres (52,61 km2, 11,3% of the total area of Bergen municipality) of productive soil were re-disposed for other purposes, only last year, an area  equivalent to 1100 football fields.
In the period from 2000-2009 162 504 acres (657,63 km2, 141,22% of the total area of Bergen municipality), has been re-disposed for roads, housing, industrial zones, schools, sports facilities, etc. Only in Hordaland region 7950 acres (32,17km2) were re-disposed.
This area of productive soil can not be replaced after its buildt upon as it takes 100 years to produce 1cm of productive soil. In the same period only 104 187 acres was cultivated, but it cannot replace the soil taken out of production, as it does not hold the same qualities. Every year we reduce our most productive areas.

Compared to other nations we have a lot of area relative to number of citizens, but only small zones capable to produce food or fodder. Only 3% of Norwegian land area is productive, and only one third of this area is of such good quality it is able to produce corn. In 2008 this was equivalent to 2,2 acres pr inhabitant, or 8900 m2 (2,7 acres pr inhab. is the average on world basis). 2,2 acres of good quality can produce 880kg of corn or 1320kg grass. This is enough to feed up 3,5 pigs for slaughter, or about 1/4 of a milk producing cow. But most of the productive fields we hold is best suited to produce fodder or grass due to climatic conditions.

1 million acres of irreplaceable land is lost the last 50 years in Norway. As long as it is happening little by little it does not attract much attention.

With the productive land we have we are able to feed 50% of the population through the year, or all of the inhabitants half the year. The rate of self-supply for Norway in 2008 was calculated 52% on an energy basis (kcal). We are able to produce almost enough milk and meat but we need to import corn. But large numbers of the milk and meat production is based on imported fodder.
Last year the spring was dry and the harvesting season wet so only 15% of the produces corn was of quality for human consumption.

Calculations show that the Norwegian population will increase with 1 mill by 2030. To maintain a self-sufficiency level of 50% we need to increase the production by 20%. Are we able to achieve this?
What happens if we will no longer have access to rent productive fields and cheap labor in other countries? Only 10% of world production is sold on the world market, the rest is regionally or locally consumed.

8th of June this year we heard on the news that Sandnes municipality plan to build on 2000 acres of the best productive land we have in this country. Land should not be managed by the municipalities alone if they can make this decision without national discussion.