The Arctic as a food-producing region

This chapter provides a summary of food production in three regions of the Arctic. These include: the entirety of Iceland; Norway’s three northernmost counties—Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark; and northern Canada, including Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik, and Labrador. In 2016, the Sustainable Development Working Group endorsed The Arctic as a Food Producing Region research project. The export of fish and fish products are by far the most important export items from Iceland and contribute significantly to the Icelandic economy. From 2012 to 2016, Norway exported fish products worth 339,207,335,000 Norwegian krone. Marine products accounted for 89% of northern Canada’s total food export. There are over 3,000 sheep farms in Iceland. These farms tend to be small and family owned. The sheep farming is as old as the human settlement of Iceland. The largest agricultural production systems in Northern Norway are based on meat production. The agricultural production in northern Norway is the northernmost active agricultural system in the world.