Motivations for Urban Agriculture Policies: Evidence from Norway’s Largest Urban Areas

Abstract

Public policies for urban agriculture have lately been developer in several cities. This chapter investigates motivations for such policies in three Norwegian cities: Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim. The motivations can be synthetized in five categories. They are much the same in the three cities but with different emphasis. First, urban agriculture is set into an urban “green” development discourse, particularly in Oslo and Bergen. “Green” not only means literally to make gray urban areas green by adding vegetation but also refers to an environmentally friendly urban development, increasing biodiversity and the amount of pollinator friendly plants. Second, food production and alternative food systems are important motivations, particularly in Trondheim and this municipality’s aim to couple urban agriculture to peri-urban professional agriculture. This aspect is also prominent in the policies in Bergen. Third, all cities underline the provision of social meeting places and local community building as a motivation for municipal support. Fourth, all cities consider urban agriculture as an important means for providing municipal welfare services, including work training, integration, health promotion, and spreading knowledge about growing. A fifth dimension is coupled to active citizenship and co-creation of city development particularly in Trondheim.