The Nordics

The food and land use systems of the Nordic region (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) are complex and diverse. Denmark has the largest agricultural system – covering over 60% of its land area and accounting for nearly one-quarter of its export value. In contrast, only 3% of Norway’s land is fit for agricultural use, whereas the country is the world’s second-largest exporter of seafood. Iceland is limited in its agricultural production by geographic conditions, yet uses abundant and renewable geothermal energy to grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in greenhouses. Finland is one of the most heavily forested countries of the European Union, with its forestry sector accounting for over 20% of the country’s export revenue. Land use in Sweden ranges from the heavily forested north to intensive interspersed agriculture and a robust dairy sector.

Across the Nordic region, unhealthy diets contribute to obesity and diet-related chronic diseases that come at a high cost to the individual and public sector. Typical Nordic diets also contribute to high overall environmental impact. Recent research shows that the production of the typical Nordic diet produces 2.5 to 3 times the greenhouse gas emissions, and uses approximately twice the amount of cropland, as would be considered sustainable if global food system targets were scaled down to an equal per capita scale. Notwithstanding the abundance of water in the region, it also faces important water management issues, including pollution of the Baltic Sea, owing in part to run-off from agricultural inputs. Finally, the Nordic region has high levels of food waste – approximately 120 kilograms per person a year.