This review is the result of a close co-operation effort between the OECD and the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food. It was prepared by Jesús Antón (project leader), Dimitris Diakosavvas, Lars Olav Flakkenberg, Jared Gars, Roger Martini, and Urszula Ziebinska. Martina Abderrahmane and Michèle Patterson provided editing and publication support. The team in the Ministry in Oslo was led by Nils Øyvind Bergset and included Harald Aalde, Kirsti Wensaas Anker-Nilssen, Knut Berdal, Marthe Bay Haugen, Jon Magnar Haugen, Siri Lothe, Anine Norgren-Jahnsen and Sigurd Siem. The review also benefited from background reports by Klaus Mittenzwei (Ruralis Institute for Rural and Regional Research), Per Ingvar Olsen (Norwegian Business School), and Ivar Pettersen (NIBIO - Norwegian Institute of Bio-economy Research); and data provided by Geir Inge Gundersen (Statistics Norway) and Mona Nedberg Østby (Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education, NIFU).
Additional valuable inputs and comments were received from: Lajla Tunaal White and Jon Olav Brunvatne from the Norwegian Ministry for Climate and the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture and Food, respectively; Hélène Blake, Nils Axel Braathen, Jane Ellis, Katia Karousakis, and Edward Perry from the OECD Environment Directorate; Gernot Hutschenreiter and Philippe Larrue from the OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation; and Marcel Adenäuer, Dalila Cervantes-Godoy, Koen Deconinck, Emily Gray, Guillaume Gruère, Santiago Guerrero, Ben Henderson, and Jussi Lankoski from the OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate. Jonathan Brooks and Julia Nielsen provided comments to drafts of the review.
The review benefited from discussions with Norwegian policy makers, experts, and stakeholders during a series of on-line meetings that took place between 21 and 24 September 2020. It also benefited from inputs by delegates of the Working Party on Agricultural Policies and Markets (APM), in particular during the peer review session that took place on 25 November 2020, with the active participation of Erlend Kjærnsrød, political advisor of the Norwegian Minister of Agriculture and Food, and of Chris Carson (New Zealand), Kate Dassesse (Switzerland) and Bo Norell (Sweden) as peer-reviewers.
This review has taken place in the challenging context of the COVID-19 crisis that has affected all our day-to-day lives. Only one mission to Norway was possible in late 2019. The agenda was full, involving experts and stakeholders, as well as an inspiring discussion with Geir Halvor Vedum and Karoline Finstad Vol when we visited their farms. Without the effort and flexibility shown by all contributors, this review would not have been possible.
The Review forms the basis for engagement and policy dialogue with the Norwegian Government and other stakeholders. The ultimate aim of the analysis and associated exchange of policy experiences is to contribute to the design of more effective policies in Norway and in other countries.