Norway launches ambitious greenhouse project

The BioFresh project is not about increasing yields, but a new approach that couples high value to consumers (taste, health, appeal) with reliance only on sustainable input (renewable energy, organic fertilisers, biocontrol and waste from other processes).

The ambition of the project is made clear by the current numbers of greenhouse horticultural production in Norway: for instance, tomato yield in commercial production can reach 120 kg/m2, thanks to the application of artificial light, the presence of a good knowledge base on which growers can rely, and high quality installations.

Variety in climate in Norway
In this project, the “adaptive greenhouse method” will be enlarged to account for the very peculiar climatic and economic conditions of Norway. The mainland is some 1800 km long, and covers latitudes from 58 through higher than 71oN. There is even some greenhouse production even in Tromsø, well above the arctic circle. Our challenge is to develop a tool to identify the most economic greenhouse system (and the most appropriate management) for each one of the climatic regions of Norway.

The project is led by the NIBIO (Norwegian Institute of BioEconomy Research) and joins several Norwegian stakeholders and research institutes. Wageningen University & Research is one of the only two foreign institutions.

Source: Wageningen UR