ABSTRACT
Over the last decade, increased value creation in the agricultural sector has moved up on the Norwegian political agenda. Political strategies and documents have emerged, among them a valorisation programme for food, which has been operating for 10 years (LMD 2001). The objectives of this programme have been to stimulate and increase food entrepreneurship and local food production. Agricultural diversification strategies have also included farm tourism (LMD 2007), and the more recent national Norwegian tourism strategy emphasises that tourism is an important arena for marketing of Norwegian food culture and that synergies may be achieved by introducing local food into tourism (LMD 2008; NHD 2007). Against the background of these policy goals – and supported by considerable funds from the valorisation programme – production of local food has appeared as a niche in contemporary Norwegian agriculture. This is similar to developments in several Western European countries in the last decade (see for example Sims 2009, 2010).
