CONSERVATION EFFORTS For conservation, Danish farmers plant 30 per cent of their land in cover crops, deterring erosion and runoff. True, they are mandated by the government to do so. But besides cover crops’ functionality, farmers know their appearance in fields is a winner with the watchful public. Agriculture in Denmark also benefits greatly from the services of SEGES Innovation, a private, independent, non-profit research and development organization. It is considered the leading agricultural knowledge and innovation centre in Denmark, with a huge extension mandate. One of SEGES’s most interesting consumerfacing projects is an exercise to produce 8 climate-neutral rye bread and oatmeal (rye is a Danish staple). Program director Jens Elbaek and a team oversee the effort; they are in the throes of developing a life cycle assessment throughout the bread’s value chain, starting in the fields in which it is grown, with minute detail. When they are done, they will know exactly what it costs to produce Denmark’s bread of the future, and those costs will be reflected in the price of the climate-neutral bread, which will be sold at grocery stores. Elbaek is looking forward to offering consumers a glimpse of what climate neutrality means at the checkout counter. “Like the rest of the world, Denmark has been hit with inflation,” he says. “Danish consumers have started buying discount commodities, especially food, like never before. It is very exciting to see how that will affect the sale of my slightly more expensive rye bread.” FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY But most indications are that Denmark’s giant leap to full sustainability will not slow down. “Politicians are pushing farmers to be greener,” says Christopher Weis Thomasen, CEO of the robotics company Seasony, which serves the vertical farming sector. “There is some tension, and farmers are pressedto balance sustainable business with sustainability. The harder question to answer is, how to create the right financial environment.” Indeed, many have big concerns. Some say legislators are ill-informed about farm production and management realities, such as the effort required to transition from livestock to crops. They wonder if the government is making decisions and setting targets based on sound science. And huge questions have surfaced about the potential effect of ever-increasing environmental standards on food imports, along with protectionist calls to reduce imports that do not live up to Danish standards — which, in reality, could be imports from almost all countries, given Denmark’s sky-high standards. That could prompt trade retaliation and spell disaster for an export-dependent country like Denmark. After all, Danish agriculture accounts for one-fifth of Danish exports; despite its size, it is a major exporting nation. “We can do all we can to lobby, but politicians are the ones who will make the decisions,” said one farmer during a field tour during last year’s International Federation of Agricultural Journalists’ congress in Denmark. “I’m extremely worried about protectionism. We must keep markets open and promote peace.” And at the same time, the agriculture sector must keep driving forward with the kind of innovation that entrepreneurs like Knudsen and Thomasen bring to the table. When it comes to environmental sustainability, Denmark’s on top of the world, and as far as the Danes are concerned, there is no turning back. l continued from page 6 CLIMATE-NEUTRAL RYE BREAD PRODUCTION MEASUREMENTS. GRAPHIC COURTESY OF SEGES INNOVATION.
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