Bioforsk
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Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research (Bioforsk)was a national NorwegianR&Dinstitute specialising in the fields ofagricultureandfood production,environmental protectionandnatural resourcemanagement. In 2015, it became part of the merger that resulted in the Norwegian institute for Bioeconomics (Norsk institutt for bioøkonomi).[1]
Organisation
[edit]Bioforsk was established on 1 January 2006, after a merger of the Norwegian Centre for Soil and Environmental Research, the Norwegian Institute for Crop Research and the Norwegian Centre for Organic Agriculture.[1]Bioforsk was organised under theNorwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food.[1] Bioforsk had a staff of about 500.[citation needed]
The institute consisted of seven research divisions:
The Bioforsk Plant Health and Plant Protection Divisionis in charge of R&D related to plant health and plant protection. The division specialises in the fields of plant diseases,weeds,pests, climate effects,geneticsand biotechnology.Important R&D areas include integrated plant protection, biological pest controland pest forecasting systems. The division is furthermore involved in such fields as agrometeorology,ecotoxicologyand risk analysis. The Plant Health and Plant Protection Centre is located in Ås.
The Bioforsk Soil and Environment Divisionis in charge ofsoil and environmental research. The division is specialised in the fields of soil science,soil pollution,ecotoxicology,waste management,wastewaterand ecological engineering,hydrology, water quality,land useand terrestrial climate effects. The division’s main office is in Ås, but there is also a branch in Svanvik in easternFinnmark,close to the Russian and Finnish borders, with a specific focus on environmental issues in theBarents Region.The branch also includes the Svanhovd Conference Centre and the Visitor’s Centre of theØvre Pasvik National Park.
The Bioforsk Arable Crops Divisionis in charge of R&D related to cereals,oilseedcrops,peas,seed production,potatoes, vegetablesandherbs.The division also conducts research on such areas asberries,forage crops, lawn grass, small livestock, organic agriculture,precision farmingand farm-based rural development in the mountain regions. The main office is inKappinHedmarkCounty, but there are branches throughout easternNorway,where, due to natural conditions, most of the country’s arable crops are grown.
The Bioforsk Horticulture and Urban Greening Divisionis in charge of R&D related tofruitand berry crops, greenhouse production of vegetables and berries, Christmas trees and cut greens, as well as the establishment and maintenance ofurban green space,including sports and amenity turf. The division also focuses on roughage production and cultural landscape management. The main office is inKleppinRogalandCounty, just south ofStavanger,and there are three branches in other parts of western Norway: two inSogn&Fjordaneand one inHordaland.
The Bioforsk Grassland and Landscape Divisionis in charge of R&D related to grassland management, roughage production and the cultural landscape. The division, which is based atStjørdalto the north ofTrondheim,also conducts research on cereals, berries, vegetables, potatoes, greenhouse crops andbioenergy.
The Bioforsk Organic Food and Farming Divisionis a national centre of expertise, in charge of R&D related toorganic agricultureand organic food production. The division’s activities cover the entire value chain from “farm to table”. The division is based atTingvollin north-western Norway (Møre og Romsdal County).
The Bioforsk Arctic Agriculture and Land Use Divisionis in charge of R&D related toArcticagriculture and the utilisation of wilderness and rangeland resources. The division has special expertise in the fields of wild berry production, utilisation of uncultivated land and freshwater fisheries. The division also has a regional responsibility for facilitating an innovative development of agriculture and land use in northern Norway. The main office is in the Arctic metropolis ofTromsø,with two branches inNordland County (TjøttaandBodø).
References
[edit]- ^abHansen, Tor Ivar (2020-06-16)."Bioforsk – Store norske leksikon".Store norske leksikon(in Norwegian).Retrieved2024-02-16.