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The first status report on the conservation of farm animal genetic resources (AnGR) in the Nordics : 40 years of Nordic collaboration in the conservation of Animal Genetic Resources
No full textAs the modern world evolves at a rapid pace, the importance of safeguarding and understanding the values of farm animal genetic resources becomes even more crucial. Native farm animal breeds have been an essential part of life in the Nordics, reflecting centuries of adaptation to this environment and specific human demands. These breeds have historically been important for human survival in northern conditions, and today their special characteristics are of great value for sustainable food production and other ecosystem services, helping to meet future unpredictable challenges. Safeguarding conserved breeds goes beyond agricultural interests. The breeds have a unique genetic diversity (i.e., within and between breeds) and important ecosystem effects (e.g., by contributing to the overall biodiversity of the ecosystem), which is why it is an important commitment to preserve their biological diversity. Conserved breeds may often possess special characteristics that make them well-suited to local conditions, such as cold tolerance, disease resistance, and the ability to be productive and fertile on marginal lands. These traits make them valuable when facing climate change and the needs for sustainable agricultural practices. At the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen), our mission is to contribute to the safeguarding of the Nordic genetic resources and facilitate their sustainable use for agriculture, horticulture and forestry for both current and future generations. We aim to provide up-to-date knowledge and genetic materials to facilitate sustainable food and feed production and other biobased solutions in the changing climate of the Nordic region. This report presents the status of all Nordic native breeds and offers the first comprehensive overview of the 40-year journey in official Nordic collaboration for conservation Nordic farm animal genetic resources (AnGR). It examines the diversity, distribution, and conservation status of these farm animal breeds. By presenting the current methods used for conservation, it also highlights internal and external pressures in the Nordic region. Conservation efforts over the past 40 years have been fruitful; thus, the report also showcases successful conservation efforts by various stakeholders. The differences in conservation strategies among Nordic countries are also reported, particularly the criteria for classifying breeds as protected. We trust that this report addresses various needs for information and enhances understanding of the continuous necessity to protect native breeds and the critical importance of data collection in these efforts. Let this report inspire readers to recognize and promote the conservation of the national heritage of the Nordic countries.
NordGen Annual Review 2023
No full textThe Nordic Genetic Resource Centre (NordGen) is the Nordic countries’ gene bank and knowledge center for genetic resources. NordGen is an organisation under the Nordic Council of Minister and works with the mission of conserving and facilitating the sustainable use of genetic resources linked to food, agriculture and forestry. NordGen Annual Review 2023 provides a review of NordGen's work done in the past year
Seed Longevity and Survival of Seed Borne Diseases After 35 Years Conservation in Permafrost : – Report From the 100 Year Storage Experiment
No full textThe Nordic Gene Bank (predecessor to today's plant section of The Nordic Genetic Resource Center, NordGen) established the 100 year seed storage experiment in Coal mine no. 3 outside Longyearbyen, Svalbard, in 1986. The experiment was established with the aim to monitor the longevity of seeds in this Nordic back-up seed collection that were deposited in the coal mine from 1984 and to gain general knowledge about the longevity of seed stored under permafrost conditions, as well as studying the survival of seed borne plant pathogens. Seed samples have regularly been withdrawn for analysis according to a fixed withdrawal and analyze plan, that will continue until the last samples are analyzed in 2086
„Pamatyk, pasėk ir paragauk!“ – įkvepiantis vadovas, kaip mokyti vaikus auginti augalus maistui.
No full textA Seed of Inspiration A seed is small, tiny even. Still, within its coating it carries the origin of life. Given the right conditions, seeds can grow into plants that we need for food, shelter, clothes, fuel, and fodder for our animals. Plants that are essential for human life on earth. To see a seed wake up and stretch its first leaves towards the sky, whilst firmly positioning its roots in the ground is intriguing. To put your hands in the soil and learn the basics of growing your own plants is amazing. To understand the connection between food, biodiversity and climate change is crucial. Unfortunately, children today grow up in a society struggling with several global challenges, such as the climate crisis and the ongoing loss of biodiversity. The recent pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine have also raised issues as the importance of food security and the vulnerability of being too dependent on import. Knowledge of the fundamentals in growing food is therefore more important than ever. With this in mind, NordGen has created this educational package targeting pre-schools and primary schools with the aim of inspiring children to learn more about food and gardening by putting their hands in the soil. This cultivation handbook is written in Lithuanian and has been used by teachers and pupils there as part of the NordGen-project "See, sow and taste". As the Nordic countries’ knowledge center for genetic resources, NordGen has a mission to disseminate information on biodiversity important for our Nordic agriculture and forestry. This is our way of doing that in a hopefully fun and inspiring way. We hope that you will have a wonderful time teaching your pupils about the fundamental issue of growing plants for food. Get your hands dirty! Let the kids play, listen to them discussing. And above all – have fun
Positive renewal in newsrooms through crisis in crisis
No full textThis ethnographic study explores how the Covid-19 pandemic was an occasion for sensemaking and for (re)organising newsroom practices. Interviews with both journalists and editors from three Norwegian newsrooms in May 2022 demonstrate how the Covid-19 crisis was experienced as an opportunity for positive renewal and innovative ways of organising. The pandemic reinforced the ongoing changes in the media ecosystem and was hence viewed as a “crisis in crisis”. This chapter reveals the lived experience of the pandemic, and the findings offer an enriched understanding of how the crisis created opportunities for collective efforts and differentiation of modes of organising work guided by flexibility, creativity, autonomy, and solidarity
Handbook: Learning Circles in the Nordic Context
No full textThe handbook contains guidance and inspiration on how to work with Learning Circles at the workplace. It presents reflections and thoughts useful for both participants and facilitators when they want to start working with learning circles in their own context. The intention behind learning circles is to create a framework within which participants in aco-creative learning process can develop new knowledge and new opportunities for actionin relation to current challenge and themes
What works and for whom? : Toward a more inclusive labour market in the Nordics 4
No full textThere is a growing recognition of the importance of effective employment instruments. However, knowledge on what works for whom is still limited, particularly for the most vulnerable groups . The purpose of this report is to summarise the literature on various employment instruments and their effectiveness among different groups of vulnerable individuals. The overall take aways from the report are: 1. The choice of employment instrument is a complex issue, due to barrier complexity 2. To foster sustainable employment a wide range of instruments is required 3. Despite intensive focus and academic research on how to increase the labour market participation among vulnerable groups, significant knowledge gaps still remain. We also have categorised and summarised the latest knowledge on the effectiveness of each labour market instrument, which can be found in the report
Nopef Annual Review 2023
No full textNopef, the Nordic Project Fund, provides financial support for feasibility studies aimed at international establishments and implementation of commercial pilots and demonstrations of green solutions. The funding is intended for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) based in the Nordic countries. Read more about Nopef activities and results in 2023
From reality-TV to rurality-TV : Exploring the genre of idealised rural lifestyles in Nordic public service television
No full textThis chapter introduces rurality-TV as a genre, and we discuss how public service media, through this genre, contributes to symbolically resolving tensions between the rural and the urban, and we address processes of mobility and urbanisation in the Nordics. Three popular reality-TV programmes depicting rural life are analysed: Bonderøven [loosely translated as The Hillbilly], later known as Frank & Kastaniegaarden (DR), Hjälp vi har köpt en bondgård! [Help we have bought a farm!] (SVT), and Oppfinneren [The Inventor] (NRK). These are approached through three questions: What constitutes public service rurality-TV as a genre in terms of form and content? What values are negotiated in the programmes? How can we understand rurality-TV in the context of public service broadcasting in the media welfare state
The dark side of the media welfare state : How media policy ignored consumption and climate change
No full textThis chapter revisits the concept of the media welfare state, a term we coined a decade ago (with fourth author Ole Mjøs). The concept highlighted how welfare state principles influenced media policy in the Nordic countries and how policymakers used regulatory measures to correct negative implications of state and market governance. In this chapter, we consider how policymakers responded to a trend we did not previously discuss: the media’s contribution to overconsumption and environmental damage. Based on an empirical discussion of three phases of Norwegian media policy – early television, early broadband, and early data centre policies – we argue that in facing these challenges, politicians have been less willing to use policy measures to reduce harmful consequences. Instead, there is a tendency towards unquestionably labelling media and digital platforms “a green industry”