Workshops Across Three Mountain Regions
The first workshop took place in Oppdal, one of the largest sheep-farming municipalities in Norway. Oppdal is also characterized by having large extensive mountain grazing areas. The workshop was organized in collaboration with local agricultural offices and the event gathered livestock farmers, advisors and NIBIO researchers. Participants discussed challenges related to farm management, land use and product value, with particular emphasis on digital tools. documentation requirements and the need for better integration between existing apps and platforms. Issues such as fences, reduced labour availability and the importance of varied grazing species were also highlighted.
The second workshop was held during the national “Ung Fjellbonde” conference in Voss, organized in close collaboration with National centre for mountain farming. The conference brought together more than 40 young farmers from across Norway. With participants representing diverse production systems and levels of experience, discussions centred on the realities of establishing a farm today. Economy, labour shortages, challenging terrain and the need for better profitability emerged as key concerns. Participants also emphasised the importance of communicating the value of rangeland grazing to society.
The final workshop in Meråker gathered 24 farmers in an area with long-standing collaboration between NIBIO and the local grazing group. Here, challenges such as wild carnivores, trourist activities in rangelands, cabin development, bureaucracy and climatic conditions were prominent. Farmers also stressed the need for improved technology, better local predator management and strengthened grazing rights.
Identifying Challenges and Needs Across Thematic Areas
Across all workshops, participants worked in groups to identify and priorities challenges and needs within the three DIGI-Rangeland thematic areas:
Farm management in extensive systems Key challenges included economy, lack of labour and time, increasing documentation demands, and fragmented digital tools. Needs centred on better profitability, recruitment, lower-cost technologies and improved data sharing between platforms.
Facilitating land use and land sharing Farmers pointed to conflicts linked to the right to roam, loose dogs, tourism pressure, cabin development and wild carnivores. Needs included better public knowledge, clearer rules, improved dialogue with other land users and strengthened grazing rights.
Promoting rangeland products and ecosystem services Participants emphasized the need to communicate the value of grazing for climate, culture and landscape. Challenges included low wool prices, negative attitudes toward grazing animals and limited understanding of rangeland use. Needs focused on information campaigns, visibility of grazing practices and better marketing of rangeland-based products.
Strengthening the DIGI-Rangeland Network in Norway
Together, the three workshops provided a comprehensive picture of the diverse realities of Norwegian rangeland farming. While Oppdal participants focused more on technological challenges, Voss highlighted economic pressures among young farmers, and Meråker emphasised land-use conflicts and predator issues. Despite regional differences, all groups expressed a strong desire to improve communication with society and to ensure that the value of rangeland farming is recognized.
The workshops successfully activated the Norwegian DIGI-Rangeland network, fostering dialogue between farmers, advisors and researchers. The insights gathered will guide future co-creation activities and ensure that the project responds directly to the needs and priorities of Norwegian rangeland farmers.
