Norway has approved a modified national action plan that includes a binding target for 10% of the country’s agricultural land to be organic by 2032.

The plan also includes measures aimed at stimulating consumer demand for organic and growth of organic food sales. The plan was approved by a majority vote in the Norwegian Parliament this week. This Norwegian Government will now work on enabling proposals, which it will present to Parliamentarians in Spring 2025. 

The development follows an evaluation study of Norway’s national organic strategy (adopted in 2018) that was carried out in 2023 by Oxford Research. One of the main challenges the evaluation identified was the lack of a numerical target for organic production. In 2024, Parliament decided that the eco-strategy should be revised to se6 in place an escalation plan.

Kari Marte Sjøvik, general manager at Økologisk Norge (Organic Norway), said: “This is a day of joy! We have been fighting for a binding eco-target for years, and now we have achieved success. This will give organic agriculture the predictability and support it deserves.” 

Økologisk Norge chair, Stina Mehus, shared the enthusiasm: “This is a new milestone for Norwegian organic agriculture. Now we are finally getting the political will needed to lift organic production and consumption to new heights. We look forward to following this up together with the authorities, farmers and consumers.

She addsed: “Organic food is important for health, the environment and food safety. This sends a clear signal that Norway wants a more sustainable future. Now we have to work further to ensure that this goal is realized in practice!”. 

Photo by Gunnar Ridderström on Unsplash