Paving the way for green growth
‘In agriculture, we do not have the liquidity to finance this kind of pioneering work ourselves. As we do not yet know whether it will work, the risk is considerable. That is why the Bionova grant is absolutely essential,’ says farmer Bernt Freberg.
Reduce pesticide use with a precision drone
A black drone slowly makes its way over his vegetable field on Nøtterøy. Equipped with a special camera, it is on an important mission: to map where weeds are growing in the field. The GPS coordinates are sent to the crop sprayer, which then knows exactly where to release the pesticides.
«Crops are protected from unnecessary spraying, resulting in higher yields. At the same time, significantly less pesticide and diesel are used, benefiting both the environment and the bottom line. That is what precision farming is all about: making sound decisions based on analysis, calculations and measurements.»
Together with his brothers Edvart and Arnstein, who run farms in Stokke and Toten, he is the first in Norway to test the innovative drone solution. This has been made possible with Bionova's grants for climate- and environmentally friendly technology.
'We could not have done this without the grant. As well as the high cost of purchasing the drone, learning how to use it takes a lot of time,' the farmer points out.
Accelerating the transition
Our Bionova grants are designed to accelerate the transition in agriculture, aquaculture and forestry. We established the scheme in 2023 as a tool to help Norway achieve its 2030 climate targets.
«Bionova offers a range of grants and is our key tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting business development in agriculture, aquaculture and forestry.»
Lesjø points out that many innovative and green projects involve a degree of risk and therefore depend on our funding to become a reality.
- At the same time, we know these industries have significant potential to cut emissions, and we see a strong commitment to transformation and developing new solutions. By combining this with our support, we can truly accelerate the green transition.
Old method delivers major cuts in fertiliser use
On Nøtterøy’s fertile farmland, the Freberg brothers have also received support from Bionova to test an old method in a new way: strip-tillage. The method has long been used in the Midwest and is also popular among farmers in New Zealand.
‘Instead of harrowing the entire field, you cultivate only narrow strips of soil. The rest of the field remains undisturbed,’ Bernt explains. He recently started using a brand-new strip-till machine from France.
This can offer several benefits: the soil retains moisture better, while crop residues on the surface can protect against both evaporation and erosion. The method also reduces nutrient run-off. In Norway, it has been tested on cereals, but not on vegetables, which Freberg is now trialling – initially on cauliflower.
The aim is for the method to help meet new environmental requirements for farming around the Oslofjord. It could also reduce fertiliser use by 30 per cent, saving the three Freberg brothers NOK 1.5 million in annual costs.
‘It will be incredibly exciting to see whether the method can work just as well here. Agriculture must play its part in the green transition, but it is also important that this happens in an economically sustainable way,’ says Bernt Freberg.
The results so far are promising: Across the five hectares where the machine has been tested, the use of artificial fertiliser during planting has been reduced by around 60 per cent, while diesel consumption has fallen by around 65 per cent.
«Agriculture must play its part in the green transition, while ensuring that the transition is economically sustainable.»
Turning wood chips on their head to save peatlands
Bionova funding has also made its way to Gjøvik. Hunton Fiber has been producing wood fibre products here since 1889, using sawdust from local sawmills.
In 2019, the company discovered that the sawdust could also be turned into something entirely different: Fibergrow – a growing medium that can replace both peat and stone wool, helping to address a major climate challenge.
Digging peat from ancient peatlands releases vast amounts of greenhouse gases. A ban on peat has been discussed for years, but finding an alternative with the same beneficial properties has proved difficult. When the Norwegian Environment Agency and NIBIO began looking for alternatives, they discovered successful examples of wood fibre use in the US. At the same time, Hunton was building a new wood fibre production plant at Skjerven.
'They contacted us to find out whether Hunton's wood fibre could work as a growing medium,' says Ole Mathias Lygren, Head of Business Development at Hunton Fiber. Hunton took on the challenge.
– 'We quickly discovered that it worked. Since then, we have continued to develop it through research projects, collaboration with the horticulture industry, adjustments and trial and error,' he says.
Strong potential in a vast market
Today, Fibergrow is available both as growing mats for large greenhouses and as loose fibre that can be mixed into soil to replace peat for smaller growers and home gardeners.
The solution has been tested at NIBIO's research stations, Mære Agricultural School, commercial operators and several pilot customers – with promising results.
Fibergrow is now setting its sights on the vast European market. With more than NOK 14 million in grants from Bionova, Hunton can now scale up its ambitions and move faster.
«When we applied for support from Innovation Norway, we only had a manually produced prototype. We wanted to invest in a pilot production line, but the risk was high. Our support was crucial in enabling us to move forward.»
Harnessing energy from unused birch
Rønningen farm in Tolga has also started using wood chips as a resource. The birch forest surrounding the farm had stood unused for generations, but in 2016, farmer Embret Rønning had an idea.
‘I asked myself: Could it be put to use?’
The answer was a modern woodchip heating system that now meets all the farm's heating needs – from the barn and office to the farmhouse and workshop.
‘We have even used timber from our own forest to build our home. The sawmill offcuts are turned into wood chips for the heating system. Everything is part of a circular process, and nothing goes to waste,’ says the farmer, who runs the farm with his son Halvor.
In 2018, the family installed solar panels that generate 43,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) a year – more than enough to cover their own consumption.
Combining sustainability with profitability
We played a key role in transforming the farm. Through the Value Creation Programme for Renewable Energy and Technology in Agriculture, they received NOK 300,000 for woodchip heating and NOK 100,000 for solar panels.
«I doubt that key milestones such as the woodchip heating plant would have been achieved without our support. It was a significant investment, and we were not entirely sure how it would work out. »
The farm has also received IBU funding to expand its barn and invest in a robotic milking system and silage bunker, as well as a grant to support the transfer to the next generation. The result is an organic farm that combines sustainability with profitability – and which received the Norwegian Agriculture Sustainability Award in 2024.
Read more about the mountain farm that cracked the climate code.
From fish waste to a food feast
Using raw materials that would otherwise go to waste is also the core idea behind Seagems Norway's solution. As much as 50 million tonnes of seafood waste is dumped or used as animal feed every year.
'This is a source of protein and flavour that is going to waste, while the food industry is increasingly crying out for sustainable ingredients,' says Karl Inge Slotsvik, CEO of Seagems Norway.
At the factory on Ellingsøy in Ålesund, by-products from cod, salmon, prawns, crab and lobster are transformed into sought-after flavour ingredients. What was once thrown overboard now adds flavour to everything from instant noodles in Lagos to bowls of soup in Berlin – more than five billion meals a year.
'We use side streams from the seafood industry to produce flavour ingredients in the form of powders, flavourings, emulsions and concentrates – directly from fresh raw materials wherever they are available along coastlines around the world,' says Slotsvik.
A taste of the sea in new waters
Their production model processes the by-products within minutes of the catch, for example on board the fishing vessel.
'There, waste heat from the engine can be used to dry the raw material and remove water. This allows fishers to catch and fillet fish, as well as produce fishmeal on board,' Slotsvik explains.
Once the by-products have been turned into powder, they are sent to the main factory on Ellingsøy, where they are further processed to meet customer needs.
Seagems now has 28 investors and has secured funding for further growth. They have also received innovation loans and around NOK 30 million in grants from us.
«The support allows us to work at a completely different pace than we otherwise could, and gives us the opportunity to develop solutions that are both profitable and sustainable.»
What began as a family project with two employees in 2018 has now grown to more than 30 employees in Norway and Denmark, supplying around 2,000 tonnes to international food companies in over 35 countries.
'We are now working to introduce seafood ingredients into product categories where they have not traditionally been used, such as mayonnaise and dressings,' says Slotsvik.
