Degree Project • 30 hec Hortonomprogrammet / Horticultural Science Programme Alnarp 2017
Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science
Exploring the producers' perspective on local industry development – A case study of the conditions for blackcurrants, strawberries and arctic
raspberries in northern Sweden
Producenternas perspektiv på lokal branschutveckling – En utforskande fallstudie av förutsättningarna för svarta vinbär, jordgubbar och
allåkerbär i norra Sverige Anna Enocksson
SLU, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science Department of Plant Breeding
Exploring the producers’ perspective on local industry development – A case study of the conditions for blackcurrants, strawberries and arctic raspberries in northern Sweden Producenternas perspektiv på lokal branschutveckling – En utforskande fallstudie av förutsättningarna för svarta vinbär, jordgubbar och allåkerbär i norra Sverige Anna Enocksson Supervisor: Sara Spendrup, SLU, Department of Work Science, Business Economics and
Environmental Psychology
Co-supervisor: Sara Byström, The Rural Economy and Agricultural Society for the Norrbotten-Västerbotten region (Hushållningssällskapet Norrbotten-Västerbotten)
Examiner: Lena Ekelund-Axelson, SLU, Department of Work Science, Business Economics and Environmental Psychology
Credits: 30 hec Project level: A2E Course Title: Master’s Thesis Project in Horticultural Science Course Code: EX0801 Subject: Horticultural Science Programme: Hortonomprogrammet / Horticultural Science Programme Place of Publication: Alnarp Year of Publication: 2017 Cover Art: Anna Enocksson Online Publication: http://stud.epsilon.slu.se Keywords: producers, knowledge and innovation systems, strategy, value chain, industry development, processing, blackcurrant, strawberry, arctic raspberry, Sweden
iii
Acknowledgements Overtheyears,manyofthemspentasastudent,Ihavemetalotofpeopleandheardalotof
stories.Talesofexperiences,ideas,viewsonlife,people,natureandmuchmorewhichoften
haveleftmeamazed.ThesepeoplehavecomefromallsortsofbackgroundsandifIwereto
describethemasagrouptheonlythingtheyreallyhaveincommonisthattheyarereflecting
upon theworld surrounding them, thoughondifferent scales, and that theyall believe in
something,beitpeopleortheirideasorsomethingentirelydifferent.WhenIstartedwiththis
thesisthiswaswhatIwantedtobuildmyfoundationon,to
TherearealotofpeopleIwanttothank,andIwillprobablyneverbeabletoincludethemall
hereevenifIallowedthissectiontobelongerthantheactualthesisitself,butIwanttoname
afew.Myfirstthankyougoestomymother,forteachingmetolistentothestoriespeople
tellaswellasthosethatarehiddenbetweenthelines.WithoutthatIdoubtIwouldbewriting
thisthesis.Mysecondthankyougoestoallthepeoplethathavehelpedmemakethisthesis
possible, especially the people I have interviewed that were so kind and open with me.
HushållningssällskapetNorrbotten-Västerbottenhasalsobeenofgreathelpastheyhelped
mesetthesubjectandshowedsuchinterestintheirproducersandhowtobetterhelpthem.
ThestipendprovidedbythefoundationStiftelsenNilsson-Aschansstipendiefond,awardedby
theRoyalSwedishAcademyofAgricultureandForestry(KSLA),whichIreceivedtocovermy
travelexpenseswhenconductingtheinterviewshasalsobeenofgreathelptomakethisthesis
areality.
Ihopethatthisthesiswillhelptogainabetterunderstandingofthepositionofproducers,
bothwheretheystandintheiropinionsandideasandintheirindustries,aswellasprovide
someideasforthefuture.Withoutmysupervisors,SaraandSara,thisthesiswouldnothave
beenpossibleastheyhavehelpedmeconnectwithbothpeople,theoriesandliteraturewhich
hasgivenmeastartingpointaswellassupportwhenIhavelostmyselftoodeeplyinthedata.
Last,butdefinitelynotleast,myboyfriendFilipdeservesahugethankyouforsupportingme
whenIstressedoutaboutthewritingprocess.
iv
Abstract Sweden isworkingonanational foodstrategyto increasethecompetitivenessofSwedishagriculturebyincreasingthecompetitivenessofthefoodvaluechainsandincreasingthetotalfoodproduction, inrelationtoconsumerdemand.Asberriesareahorticulturalproductofhighconsumerdemand,andberriesarethemainhorticulturalcropinnorthernSwedenthiscasestudyfocusesonberryproducersinnorthernSweden.Thestudyisbasedoninterviewswithblackcurrant,strawberryandarcticberryfarmersinNorrbottenandVästerbotten,thetwonorthernmostcountiesinSweden.Itaimstoexploretheposition(opinionsandindustryposition) of the producers in regards to the berry value chains and the knowledge andinnovation systems they are a part of, as a strategic area pinpointed in the national foodstrategy is knowledge and innovation. In order to achieve this the interviews focused onmapping the value chains, exploring the barriers producers experienced in regards toimprovingtheirpositionandthepotentialtheproducerssawinregardstochangesinthevaluechain,supportsystemforproducersandproductbasedontheirberries.Themainfindingsofthiscasestudyarethatthereisaneedforcommonplatformsthatbringtogetherdifferentactorsinthevaluechain,andencouragesnetworkingandknowledgesharingbetweenthem,aswellasastrongersupportnetworktocaptureandhelpcreatenewknowledge,whichisthebasisforinnovation.Thereisalsoapotentialformoreruralnetworks,tofindnewbusinessopportunitiesforcreatingaddedvaluetoconsumersbysupportingcollaborationsbetweenforexampleproducersandprocessors,orproducersandtourismagents.Thestudyhasalsofoundthattherearedifferencesbetweenproducersinregardstohowtheyviewthemselvesas producers and in what drives them to produce berries, which influences how likely aproducer is tobe innovativeandopentonewventures thatcanhelp todevelop the localindustry.Inadditiontothefindingsaboutproducersandtheirrolesinvaluechains,thestudyhasalsoservedasanexampleofhowpoliciesandpoliticaldecisionscanaffectvaluechainsand the attitudes of its actors for a long time, as in the case of blackcurrantswhere theproductionwaspromotedbylocalauthoritiestolaterbecomeapartofthederegulationofmarkets.
v
Sammanfattning Sverigearbetar förennationell livsmedelsstrategi förattstärkakonkurrenskraftenhosdetsvenska jordbruket,genomattökakonkurrenskraftenhos livsmedelskedjornaochökadentotala livsmedelsproduktionen, i förhållande till konsumenternasefterfrågan.Dåbär är enträdgårdsprodukt med hög efterfrågan från konsumenterna, och bär är den viktigasteträdgårdsproduktioneninorraSverigefokuserardennafallstudiepåbärproducenterinorraSverige.Studienbyggerpåenkvalitativmetodmedintervjuermedsvartvinbärs-,jordgubbs-ochallåkerbärsodlareiNorrbottenochVästerbotten,detvånordligasteläneniSverige.Denhar sommål attundersökaproducenternasposition (åsikterochbranschposition) rörandebärensvärdekedjorochdekunskaps-ochinnovationssystemdeärendelav,dåettstrategisktområdeidennationellalivsmedelsstrateginärkunskapochinnovation.Förattuppnådettafokuserade intervjuerna på att kartlägga värdekedjorna, utforska vilka hinder producenterupplevdestodivägenförattförbättraderaspositionochvilkenpotentialproducenternasåggällandeförändringarivärdekedjan,stödsystemetförproducenterochprodukterbaseradpåderasbär.Deviktigaste resultatensomkomavdennastudieärattdet finnsettbehovavgemensammaplattformarförattsammanföraolikaaktörerivärdekedjorna,vilkauppmuntrarnätverkandeochkunskapsutbytemellandem,liksomettstarkarestödnätverkförattfångaochbidratillattskapanykunskap,vilket i sintur liggertillgrundför innovation.Det finnsocksåenpotentialförtydligarelandsbygdsnätverk,atthittanyaaffärsmöjligheterförattskapamervärdeförkonsumenternagenomattstödjasamarbetenmellantillexempelproducenterochförädlare,ellerproducenterochturismaktörer.Studienfannocksåattdetfinnsskillnadermellanproducenternärdetgällerhurdebetraktarsigsjälvasomproducenter,ochivadsomdriverdemattproducerabär,vilketpåverkarhursannoliktdetärförenproducentattvarainnovativochöppenförnyasatsningarsomkanhjälpatillattutveckladenlokalabranschen.Utöverresultatenomproducenternaochderasrollerisinavärdekedjorharstudienocksåvisatpåhurpolitikochpolitiskabeslutkanpåverkavärdekedjorochattitydernahosderasaktörerunder lång tid, som i fallet med svarta vinbär där produktionen främjades av lokalamyndigheterförattsenarebliendelavmarknadsavregleringen.
vi
Table of contents
Acknowledgements.............................................................................................................................iii
Abstract.................................................................................................................................................iv
Sammanfattning....................................................................................................................................v
Table of contents.................................................................................................................................vi
Translations and explanations.........................................................................................................viii
1. Introduction....................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Background for the case study...........................................................................................2
1.2 Purpose and aims.................................................................................................................7
1.3 Delimitations..........................................................................................................................7
1.4 Outline....................................................................................................................................8
2. Literature review and theoretical framework.............................................................................9
2.1 Primary producers and innovation.....................................................................................9
2.2 Strategy................................................................................................................................10
2.3 The Five Forces model......................................................................................................11
2.3.1 Examples of the Five Forces model in berry industries............................................12
2.4 Knowledge and Innovation Systems................................................................................14
3. Methodology and method..........................................................................................................17
3.1 Qualitative research methods...........................................................................................17
3.2 Selection of participants.....................................................................................................18
3.3 Interviews.............................................................................................................................18
3.4 Analysis................................................................................................................................19
3.5 Validity..................................................................................................................................20
3.6 Ethics....................................................................................................................................21
4. Results.........................................................................................................................................23
4.1 The berry value chains.......................................................................................................23
4.1.1 Blackcurrants...................................................................................................................23
vii
4.1.2 Strawberries....................................................................................................................25
4.1.3 Arctic raspberries............................................................................................................26
4.2 Barriers faced by producers..............................................................................................26
4.2.1 Motivation.........................................................................................................................27
4.2.2 Support.............................................................................................................................29
4.2.3 Cultivation........................................................................................................................29
4.2.4 Market...............................................................................................................................30
4.2.5 Networks..........................................................................................................................31
4.3 Visions for the berry value chain......................................................................................33
5. Discussion...................................................................................................................................35
5.1 Position of producers following the Five Forces model.................................................35
5.2 Comparison of value chains..............................................................................................37
5.3 Knowledge and innovation systems.................................................................................38
5.4 Suggestions for improvement...........................................................................................39
5.5 Suggestions for future research.......................................................................................40
6. Conclusions.................................................................................................................................42
7. Reflections...................................................................................................................................43
8. References..................................................................................................................................45
Appendix 1: Interview guide.................................................................................................................I
Appendix 2: Original interview quotes in Swedish...........................................................................II
viii
Translations and explanations As largepartsof this thesis arebasedon interviews carriedout in Swedish, and concerns
institutionsandregionsthatdonotalwayshavegoodtranslations,someSwedishnameswill
beused.Belowisalistofthesenames,andabriefexplanationofthem.
Hushållningssällskapet TheRuralEconomyandAgriculturalSociety
Aregionallybasedorganisationworkingwithextensionandruraldevelopment.ThesesocietiesexistinmostcountiesofSweden,theonementionedinthisthesisistheoneworkinginthecountiesNorrbottenandVästerbotten.
Länsstyrelsen TheCountyAdministrativeBoard
AregionalgovernmentagencyofSweden,oneineachcountyallappointedbytheSwedishgovernment.
NBG NorrbottensBärochGrönsaker
AregisteredbusinessassociationforproducersofberriesandvegetablesintheNorrbottenregionofSweden.
Norrbotten (NorthBothnia) ThelargestandnorthernmostcountyofSweden,coveringover98000km2.
SLU TheSwedishUniversityofAgriculturalSciences
TheonlySwedishuniversityworkingwiththefieldsofagriculture,horticultureandforestryinbothresearchandeducation.
Västerbotten (WestBothnia) ThesecondlargestandsecondnorthernmostcountyofSweden,coveringover55000km2.
Öjebyn ApartofthecityofPiteå,NorrbottenwhereHushållningssällskapetNorrbotten-VästerbottenrunsÖjebynAgroPark,aresearchstationincludinghorticulturalandagriculturalfieldtrials.SLUpreviouslyrantheresearchstation,aswellasoneinRöbäcksdaleninUmeå,Västerbotten.
1
1. Introduction The Swedish government has recently begun setting the goals for a new national food
strategy.TheoverarchinggoalofthestrategyistoincreasethecompetitivenessofSwedish
agriculture, by making the food value chain competitive and increasing the total food
production, while reaching relevant environmental goals (Regeringskansliet, 2017). The
reasonbehind thegoal is awish to create growth, jobopportunities and to contribute to
sustainable development throughout the country. This increase in production ismeant to
respondtoconsumerdemands,andtohelpimprovetheself-sufficiencydegreeinSwedento
decreasethevulnerability inthefoodsystem.Thestrategyhasthreestrategicareas:Rules
andregulations,consumersandmarket,andknowledgeandinnovation(Regeringskansliet,
2017).
Despite the goals of the food strategy there is a trend for decreasing agricultural land in
Sweden, with calculations showing that an estimated 10,33% of all land in Sweden was
consideredagriculturalareasin1961,butonly7,47%in2011(FAOSTAT,2016a),adecrease
of1,2millionhectares,aswhatwaspreviouslyagriculturallandhasbeenusedfore.g.forests
andcityexpansions(SCB,2013).EversincetheEUentryin1995,thevalueofagriculturalland
hasincreasedcontinuouslyinSweden,andthehighestpricesfoundintheSouthofSweden
andthelowestintheNorth,at180000SEK/haandroughly2400SEK/harespectively(SCB,
2013).ThismakesagricultureintheNorthinterestingfromaneconomicstandpoint,especially
if cultivars and cultivation methods that provide better performance under northern
conditionsaredeveloped.
Europehasbeenthemaincurrantproducergloballyforaslongasthereisdataavailable,since
1961,andhassteadilybeensupplying99%of theglobalproductionofcurrants (FAOSTAT,
2016b).ThelargestproducingcountriesinthepasttenyearsareRussia,Poland,Ukraineand
AustriawithRussiaproducingaboutover350millionkgcurrantsannuallyandPoland just
shortof200milliontonneswhilebothUkraineandAustriacomeinatabout20-25million
tonnes(FAOSTAT,2016b).AsacomparisonSwedenproducesaround200-300tonnes,merely
a thousandth of the currant production of Ukraine. Still, a majority of the blackcurrants
producedinSwedencomefromthenorthernpartsofthecountry(Jordbruksverket,2015).
2
1.1 Background for the case study
TheberryproductioninSwedenhasbeenrelativelystablesincetheturnofthecentury,when
looking at the cultivated area. What has changed however, is the number of companies
involved in berry cultivation (see figure 1 for comparison). These have been decreasing
steadilysincethemid1980’s,reflectingageneraltrendinSwedishagriculturefordecreasing
numberofcompanies,andincreasingfarmsizes(SCB,2013).Intheberrysectortheincreasing
farmsizesareespeciallyreflectedinstrawberrycultivation,whichalsomakesupabout80%
oftheoutdoorcultivationofberriesinSweden(Jordbruksverket,2015).
Figure1.Thetrendsovertheyears1971to2014forberrycultivationinregardstocultivatedarea(hectares)andnumberofcompanies.(Jordbruksverket,2000,Jordbruksverket,2015)
When discussing the berries cultivated in Sweden strawberries aremost important when
consideringcultivatedareaaswellasharvestedquantities.Whilethecultivatedareahasbeen
relativelystableoverthepast10years(Jordbruksverket,2015),itisstillmuchlowerthanin
themid1990’s.Theharvestedquantitieshaveincreasedgreatlyandarestillshowingarising
trend,whichshowsinincreasedyields(seefigure2).Forblackcurrantsthesameparameters
haveshowndecreasingtrendssince2000,thoughtherehasbeenasmallriseinthelastsurvey
in2014.Simultaneouslywiththedecreasingtrendsforblackcurrantsraspberriesareshowing
increasingtrendsincultivatedareas,productionquantitiesandyields(Jordbruksverket,2015).
0
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1971 1976 1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014Nu
mbe
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panies
Area,ha
Year
OutdoorberryproductioninSweden
Area,ha Numberofcompanies
3
Figure2.Thearea(hectares)cultivatedwiththethreemostcommonlyproducedtypesofberries(strawberries,blackcurrantsandraspberries)inallofSwedenovertheyears1976-2014areshowninthelines,correspondingtotheprimaryaxiswhiletheyieldsofthesametypesofberriesoverthesametimeperiodareshowninthestapleswhichcorrespondtothesecondaryaxis.(Jordbruksverket,2000,Jordbruksverket,2015)
WithinSwedenthereisacleartrendshowingadeclineofblackcurrantproduction(seefigure
2)wherethecultivatedareahaddecreasedto316hectaresin2014(Jordbruksverket,2015),
makingitonlyathirdofthe954hectarescultivatedwithblackcurrantsin1984(SCB,2012).
AsthishasbeenthesecondlargestberryproductioninSwedenoverthepastdecadesit is
important to investigate the strategic position of the berry producers in Sweden, and
particularlyinnorthernSwedenwhereblackcurrantshavebeentheberrymostcommercially
produced.ThedeclineappearstocorrelatewellwiththeSwedishentry intotheEuropean
Unionin1995,whichmakesitrelevanttolookintohowberryproducersperceivetheEUentry
inregardstotheirproductionandtheberryvaluechains.
Astheinterestforlocallyproducedfoodhasincreased,andberrieshavebecomeastaplein
mostfreezerstobeconstantlyavailableforsmoothiesandcolourfulantioxidantadditionsto
porridge and yoghurt, it wouldmake sense for Swedish berry producers to experience a
revival.
Notmuchhasbeenwrittenabouttheberryproduction innorthernSwedeninthepast20
years apart from reports by Elisabeth Öberg for Hushållningssällskapet Norrbotten-
Västerbotten.ThefollowingpartaboutthestateoftheberryproductioninnorthernSweden
will therefore be based on her reports. Itmainly focuses on Norrbotten county, as berry
0,00
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1976 1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014
Yield(to
nnes/ha)
Cultivatedarea(h
a)
Year
Swedishberryproduction:Cultivatedareasandyields
Blackcurrants Strawberries Raspberries
Blackcurrants Strawberries Raspberries
4
productionismuchsmallerinVästerbottencounty(lessthan50hectaresarecultivatedfor
berryproduction,seefigure3).
Figure 3. Cultivated area (hectares) and number of companies involved in berry production in the twonorthernmostcountiesofSweden–VästerbottenandNorrbotten–overthepast20years.(Jordbruksverket,2000,Jordbruksverket,2006,Jordbruksverket,2009,Jordbruksverket,2012,Jordbruksverket,2015)
Figure4.Theshareofthetotalberryproduction(harvestedtonnes)inthetwonorthernmostcountiesofSwedenheld by different types of berries in 2014. The two most common type of berries are blackcurrants andstrawberries,whilethecategoryforotherberriesisnotdefinedinthestatistics,butespeciallyforVästerbottendoesincludearcticraspberriesaccordingtoinformationfromHushållningssällskapetNorrbotten-Västerbottenandtheinterviewsconductedforthisthesis.(Jordbruksverket,2015)
0
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020406080100120140160180200
1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014
Numbe
rofcom
panies
Area(h
a)
Year
BerryproductioninnorthernSweden
Västerbotten Norrbotten Västerbotten Norrbotten
Norrbotten VästerbottenOtherberries 2 5
Strawberries 29 21
Blackcurrants 122 15
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
100%
%oftotalberryharvest(ton
nes)
County
Therelativeproductionofcultivatedberries2014
5
Aspreviouslymentionedagricultural land isdecreasing in Sweden, and inNorrbotten227
hectarsoflandusedforcommercialoutdoorcultivationhavedisappearedinthepast20years,
togetherwith77companiesinthehorticulturalsector(Öberg,2015).Berryproductionhas
beenthemostcommoncategoryofhorticulturalcropcultivatedoutdoorinnorthernSweden,
with blackcurrant being the most produced berry crop (see figure 4), but commercial
horticulturalproductionhasneverbeenbiginnorthernSweden,especiallywhencomparing
ittomoresouthernregions.Apushforblackcurrantproductionfromregionalpoliticiansin
theearly1980’sinNorrbottenleadtoitbecomingtheleadingblackcurrantproducingregion
inSwedenbytheendofthedecadewhenitproducedathirdofallblackcurrantsinSweden
andcoveredalmost280hectaresofland(Öberg,2015).In2014itwasdownto112hectares
(Jordbruksverket,2015).
RecentlythereisanincreasedpublicinterestinagricultureinNorrbottenandsincetheendof
2016Norrbottencountyhasitsownregionalfoodstrategyfortheyears2016-2020(Stenmark
et al., 2016), with the vision “Mer norrbottnisk mat på tallrikarna” (“More food from
Norrbottenontheplates”,Stenmarketal.,2016,p.30).Thiscomesinadditiontothenational
food strategy, to further emphasize and work according to the regional conditions. The
strategyfocusesalotonregionalcollaborationbetweendifferentvaluechainactorsaswell
as industriesand ithasfiveprioritizedareas,ofwhichparticularlythreeareof interest for
berry producers: Competitive food production and energy supply, which concerns better
communication and understanding in the value chains; competence management, which
concerns thedevelopmentofextensionandeducation in theareaofproductionandrural
development;identityandpride,whichconcernsraisingtheperceptionofproductsproduced
in the region by increasing communication and collaboration between industries such as
agricultureandtourism(Stenmarketal.,2016).
WhiletheareascultivatedwithberriesinSwedenhavebeendecreasingoverthepast20years
(Jordbruksverket, 2000, Jordbruksverket, 2015), the consumption of berries has been
increasing(seefigure5),bothinfresh,frozenandmostprocessedforms.Thisisalsoreflected
in the imports of fruits, nuts and berries where the imported values are displaying clear
increasingtrendsforthepast15years(seefigure6).
6
Figure5.Consumedquantitiesoffreshandfrozenberries,andprocessedproductsintheformofpurees,jamsandjuicesmadefromfruitsorberriesinSwedenfortheyears1960-2015.Allquantitiesaregiveninkg/capitaexceptforjuicewhichisgiveninl/capitaonthesecondaryaxis.(Jordbruksverket,2016)
Figure6.Valueofimportedproducts(inthousandSEK)accordingtoSPIN2007codesfortheyears2000-2015,wherethecategoryfreshproduceincludesalltypesoffruit,nutsandberries,exceptfortropicalfruit(SPINcode01.250); the category juice includes juicesmade from fruits, berries and vegetables (SPIN code 10.320); thecategoryotherprocessedproductsincludesprocessedortreatedfruits,berriesandpotherbs(SPINcode10.390).Asthevaluesaremuchhigherforthecategoryotherprocessedproductsitisfoundonthesecondaryaxisontheright.(SCB,2017)
0
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0123456789
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2013 2014 2015 (prel.)
Consum
edquantity
ofjuice(l/capita
)
Consum
edquantity
(kg/capita)
Year
Swedishberryconsumption
Freshberries Frozenberries Puree Jam Juice
0
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lue(th
ousand
SEK
)forotherprocessed
prod
ucts
Value(th
ousand
SEK
)
Year
Importvalues
Freshproduce Juice Otherprocessedproducts
7
1.2 Purpose and aims
Thepurposeofthisstudyistoinvestigatethepositionandperspectivesofberryproducersin
northernSwedeninregardstotheiropinionsandindustryposition,bydoingacasestudyof
blackcurrant,strawberryandarctic raspberryproducers. Inorder to fulfil thisanumberof
aimshavebeenset:
1. Mapping how the value chain of blackcurrants, strawberries and arctic raspberries
havebeenstructuredinnorthernSwedenoverthepastdecades,accordingtoberry
producers;
2. Identifyingwhichmajorchallengesproducersofblackcurrants,strawberriesorarctic
raspberriesexperienceintheirroleasproducers;
3. Investigatingwhichopportunitiescurrentproducersofblackcurrants,strawberriesor
arcticraspberriesseeforprocessedberryproductsandre-organizationofthevalue
chains;
4. Reviewing how the berry value chains in northern Sweden compare to other
horticulturalvaluechainswithafocusontheroleoftheproducer;
5. Findingrelevantsuggestionstoimprovethepositionofberryproducersinnorthern
Sweden,withafocustopromotingincreasedinnovationandprocessingofberries.
Theseaimswilltogetherhelptoidentifykeyfactorstoexplainthecurrentconditionsofberry
productionandtheberryindustryinnorthernSweden.
1.3 Delimitations
ThisprojectisfocusedonblackcurrantandarcticraspberryproducersinnorthernSwedenbut
interviews have also been carried out with a few producers of other berries, primarily
strawberries,togaintheperspectivesofyoungerproducers.Thecasestudyprimarilyfocuses
onblackcurrantproducersasthishasbeenthemajorberryproducedinnorthernSwedenfor
thepastdecades,andarcticraspberriesforitsnoveltyfactorandtheinterestithasgainedas
apotentialdelicacy.Duetodifficultiescontactingproducersthatendedtheirproductiononly
activeproducershavebeeninterviewed.
8
1.4 Outline
Thispaperwillcontinuebyaddressingthetheoreticalframeworkofthethesis,followedbya
sectionabouttheresearchmethodologyandthenaresultsection.Theresultsectionisdivided
into subsections based on the research aims, in which quotes and information from the
interviewsareshared.Thesearedividedintocategoriesbasedongroupingsdoneduringthe
thematicanalysis,andthethemesareaspreviouslymentionedbasedonthedata.Following
the result section is a discussion section in which the results are interpreted and the
theoreticalframeworkisappliedtotheresults,inordertoprovidetheresultswithastructure
andlanguagecoherentwithcurrentresearch.Attheendofthediscussionsectionaretwo
subsectionscontainingsuggestions,oneforchangestothesystemsthatarestudiedinthis
thesis,andoneforpotentialfutureresearchtopicsasrevealedbytheoutcomesofthisstudy.
Afterthediscussionsectioncomesabriefsectiononconclusionsstemmingfromthisstudy,
andthereafterasectioncontainingtheauthorsreflectionsonthestudyandtheworkleading
upto it.The last sectioncontains thereferencesused in this study,appendix1showsthe
interview guide used by the interviewer and appendix 2 contains all quotes from the
interviewspresentedinthepaperintheiroriginallanguage(Swedish).Eachquoteinthepaper
isnumberedandbylookingforthecorrespondingnumberinappendix2thequotecanbe
easilyfound.
9
2. Literature review and theoretical framework Most studies concerning farmers have focused on only one field of research, such as
economicsormanagement,butwhilethisstudyincludesseveralframeworksdrawnfromthis
workinordertocreatestructure,ittakesadifferentapproach.Ratherthanfocusingonafield
of research it focuses onproducers andon all things affecting their berry production and
decisions and aims to find structural key points important for understanding the position
producers are in, in their industry as well as where they stand in regards to change and
innovation.Itfocuseslessonnumbers,andmoreontheinternalfactorssuchasmotivation,
beliefsandcontexts,aswellaswhathascreatedthespecificcontexts.DuringmysearchIhave
foundnoliteraturetakingthisapproach,buthavedrawnontheframeworksofdifferentfields
ofresearchineconomicsandmanagement.
2.1 Primary producers and innovation
YouonlyneedtodoaquickGooglesearchtofindouthowmainstreamithasbecometonow
consideritmostimportantforfarmerstobenotonlygoodgrowers,buttobeentrepreneurs
(Forbes,2014,Guardian,2014,UN,2011),focusedontheneedsandwantsoftheircustomers
and ready to find that extra somethingwhichwill give themadded value. Added value is
always seen in relation to the competition and in order to truly offer added value it is
importantthatthevalueofferedisuniqueandrelevantaswellasappreciatedbycustomers
(deChernatonyetal.,2000).Insearchofthisaddedvalue,andforkeepingproductionefficient
andup-to-date, theroleof innovation isoftenpointedout.Definitionsofwhat innovation
consistofvarywiththefocusofapaper,andoftenreferstotechnologicalaspectsbutforthis
paperIhaveoptedforabroaderdefinitionofinnovation,astechnologicalaspectsonlymake
uponepartofsmall-scaleagriculture:
“We define an innovation as anything new successfully introduced into an
economic or social process. In other words, an innovation is not just trying
somethingnewbutsuccessfullyintegratinganewideaorproductintoaprocess
thatincludestechnical,economic,andsocialcomponents.Thisdefinitionstresses
threeimportantfeatures.First,innovationisthecreativeuseofdifferenttypesof
knowledgeinresponsetosocialoreconomicneedsandopportunities.Second,a
trialonlybecomesan innovationwhen it isadoptedaspartofaprocess;many
10
agents try new things, but few of these trials yield practices or products that
improvewhatisalreadyinuse.Third,innovationsareacceptedassuchinspecific
socialandeconomicenvironments.”(Spielmanetal.,2009,p.400-401)
Inadditiontothisdefinition,areportbyaworkinggroupoftheEuropeanUnion’sStanding
CommitteeonAgriculturalResearch (SCAR)providesadditionalnuances to the conceptof
innovation: “Innovation starts with mobilising existing knowledge. Innovation is a social
process,morebottom-upor interactivethantop-downfromscienceto implementation./…/
Veryoftenpartnersareneededtoimplementaninnovation.”(EU-SCAR,2012,p.9)
2.2 Strategy
Strategyisimportantinalllinesofbusiness,nomatterthescaleorindustry.Boththeresearch
aimsconcerningthestructureofvaluechainsandtheaimsconcerningvisionsandbarriers
relate back to strategy and it is therefore important to include scientific theories about
strategy in this study.While thereare several theories about strategyandwhichanalyses
shouldbeusedtoinformstrategyformation,Porterisoneofthemostcitedreferencesonthe
subject.PorterisapartofwhatisgenerallyviewedastheHarvardschoolofstrategyandhas
greatlyinfluencedtheconceptofwhatstrategyis(SeddonandLewis,2003).
Inthepastoperationalefficiency–loweringcostsandcreatingmoreefficientprocessesthan
competitors–havebeenamajorfocuswhilestrategyhasbeenputonthebackburner(Porter,
1996).Whileoperationalefficiency is important strategy isat leastequally important,and
should be focused on strategic positioning – to set your company apart from others by
performingactivitiesthataredifferentfromcompetitors’orbyperformingthesameactivities
asthecompetitors,butinadifferentway(Porter,1996).Inordertogainthisuniqueposition
acompanyneedstofinditscombinationofscaleswhenconcerningmarkets,customerneeds
andcustomergroup.Allthesethreecategoriescanbedefinedaseitherbroadornarrow,and
strategic positioning can therefore occur either by serving few needs ofmany customers
(variety-basedpositioning),broadneedsoffewcustomers(needs-basedpositioning)orbroad
needsofmanycustomers inanarrowmarket (access-basedpositioning) (Porter,1996). In
additiontothisPorterstressestheimportanceofdecidingwhatnottodoinordertoalign
withthestrategy,andtherebymakingsurethattheactivitiesofacompanyfittogethersothat
11
theyreinforceoneanothermakingithardforacompetitortocopysingleactivitiesandstill
gainthesameadvantages.
2.3 The Five Forces model
InordertocreateastrategicpositioninamarketorindustrytheFiveForcesmodelcanbe
usedtoassesseitheracurrentpositionorwhereinanindustrytheremaybeagapforanew
company,bothwiththeaimofweakeningexternalforcesorpositioningacompanywhere
forces are already weaker. The Five Forces are (Porter, 2008, see figure 7 for a graphic
representationofthemodel):
• Rivalryamongexistingcompetitors–Amoreinternalforcethatcanbeforexample
pricecuts,advertisementandsoon.Thedegreeofrivalrydependsontheintensityof
competitionandthebasisonwhichcompetitionoccurs.Theintensityisinfluencedby
thenumberofcompetitorsandwhetherornottheirsizesandpowerareequal,the
industrygrowthrate,andwhichexitbarriersexistfortheindustry.
• Threatofnewentrants–Ahighthreatofnewentrantsforcescurrentcompaniesto
focusonoperationalefficiencyinordertokeeppricesdown.Thethreatdependson
howstrongthebarrierstoentryare,whichcanbeforexampleabenefitoflargesize,
thecostscustomerswouldincurbyswitchingtoanewcompany,investmentneeds,
accesstoexistingdistributionchannels,andgovernmentpolicies.
• Threat of substitute products or services – A substitution does not have to occur
directlyoreveninthesameindustryinordertothreatenaproductandcanbevery
different fromtheproductas longas it fulfils thesameneeds,offersagoodprice-
performanceandcomeswithalowswitchingcostforbuyers.
• Bargainingpowerof suppliers– Inavaluechainstrongbargainingpowersheldby
supplierswillmeanthattheycapturemoreofthevalue,somethingwhichgenerally
happens if the supplier ifmore concentrated than the industry towhich it sells its
products,iftheindustryisnotprovidethemajorrevenueforthesupplier,ifacustomer
ofthesupplierwouldfacehigherswitchingcostsifchangingtoanothersupplier,ifthe
productofthesupplieraredifferentiatedorcannoteasilybesubstituted.
• Bargaining power of buyers – When buyers have negotiating leverage they are
powerfulrelativetothecompany,somethingthatcanhappeniftherearefewbuyers,
12
purchase volumes are large, the products are undifferentiated and can easily be
substitutedwithoutmajorswitchingcosts.
Figure7.TheFiveForcesaffectingavaluechainactororindustry(Porter,1979,Porter,2008)
2.3.1 Examples of the Five Forces model in berry industries
Cernuscaetal.(2011)haveinvestigatedthegrowingelderberryindustryintheUSA,basedon
Porter’sFiveForcesModel(Porter,2008).Theyconsiderittobeanindustrywithhighgrowth
potential,butalsoahighriskwhenitcomestoinvestmentsduetothemanyuncertainties
thatplaguetheindustry(Cernuscaetal.,2012).
The industryshowsastrongvertical integrationwithproducersgenerallynotonlygrowing
theirberriesbutalsopropagatingtheirownplantmaterialandprocessingtheirberriesinto
productsofaddedvalue.Therearealsodifferenttypesofprocessorsinvolved(neutraceutical
manufacturer,wineryandothervalue-addingprocessors),thatcatertodifferentconsumer
markets,whichdecreasesthebargainingpowerofthebuyersastheyaremoreboundtotheir
berry supplier. All in all this positions the elderberry producers in a quite strong industry
position,asisshowninfigure8.
Rivalryamongexistingcompetitors
Threatofnewentrants
Bargainingpowerofbuyers
Threatofsubstitute
Bargainingpowerofsuppliers
13
(A) (B)
Figure8.Thegreenfigure(A)showsthefiveforcesasexperiencedbyAmericanelderberryproducers,whiletheorangefigure(B)showsthesameforcesasexperiencedbyChileanraspberryproducers.
AsasecondexampleChalliesandMurray(2011)haveinvestigatedtheChileanraspberryvalue
chain,whichaccordingtothemisthesecondlargestexporterofraspberriesglobally,despite
beingarathersmallproducerwithaproductionthathasshiftedtowardssmallscaleproducers
inaworldwherehorticultural(specialty)productssupplychainshaveincreasinglycomeunder
the control of supermarkets in an attempt to improve quality and access. The Chilean
raspberryvaluechainisstronglybuyerdrivenwithEuropeanandAmericanretailerssetting
thedemands.Vertical integration in the value chain exists, andhasprimarily consistedof
growerscomingtogethertocreatecompaniestoworkdownstreamoftheminthevaluechain.
Marketaccess ishighlydependenton thescaleofoperation.Smallerproducersotherwise
generallyselltheirproducetoanintermediary,whilemediumandlargescaleproducersskip
thatstepandsellstraighttoacentralorganisation,importer,wholesalerorretailer,mainly
afterthefruithasbeensenttoafruitprocessingorpackingcompany.Themainbarrierfor
growthintheindustryisreportedtobealackofintegrationandcoordinationintheupper
endofthevaluechain,amongtheprimaryproducers,whichispreventingincreasedquality
andproductivity (ChalliesandMurray,2011). These factors together lead toamoreweak
strategicindustrypositionoftheraspberryproducers(seefigure8).
Rivalryamong
competitors:LOW
Threatofnewentrant:
LOW
Bargainingpowerofbuyers:LOW
Threatofsubstitutes:MODERATE
Bargainingpowerofsuppliers:MODERATE
Rivalryamong
competitors:MODERATE
Threatofnewentrant:UNCLEAR
Bargainingpowerofbuyers:HIGH
Threatofsubstitutes:MODERATE
Bargainingpowerofsuppliers:UNCLEAR
14
2.4 Knowledge and Innovation Systems
WithinthefieldofagriculturetheconceptofAgriculturalKnowledgeandInnovationSystems
(AKIS) has been considered useful to describe the system rather than linear nature of
innovation, by emphasizing the organisations involved and their interfaces as well as the
institutionalinfrastructure,especiallyinregardstofinancialmatter(EU-SCAR,2012).
Figure9.Thedifferentactorsinvolvedinagriculturalknowledgeandinnovationsystems(AKIS),wheresomearealsopartoftheproductdistributionchain(asshownwiththearrowshapes).Therearelayerstotheextension,educationandresearchportionwheretheextensionisclosesttotheproducersandisapartofbotheducationandresearch,justaseducationisalsoapartofresearch.Thesamerelationshipexistsintheprocessor,retailerandconsumerportionwheretheconsumersencompasstheentiretyastheyaretheoneswhocapturethevaluesaddedthroughoutthechain.(EU-SCAR,2012)
Innovation has increasingly become the responsibility of businesses (EU-SCAR, 2012), due
primarily to thechanges instructure thathaveoccurredwithin theagricultural sectorand
market, but also due to the ongoing privatisation of the previously public agricultural
knowledge system (Klerkx and Leeuwis, 2008). As the definition of innovation previously
presentedindicates,innovationsdonotonlybenefittheinnovatorsthemselves,butalsoour
futuresocietythroughthecreationofpositiveexternalities,whichmakesitimportantforthe
Agriculturalproducers
NGOs
Othersupport
ProcessorsRetailers
Consumers
Research
Education
Extension
Inputsuppliers
Banks
15
publicsectorandgovernmenttoalsosharetheresponsibilityofinnovationbypromotingand
enablingit(EU-SCAR,2012).
Asinnovationrarelyhappensinisolation,networksforlearningandinnovationhaveproven
themselvesimportantfortheempowermentofinnovationamongfarmers(EU-SCAR,2012).
Thisisespeciallyimportantasknowledgecreationoccursindifferentpartsofthesystem,itis
created by farmers, researchers and private institution alike (EU-SCAR, 2012), and as
innovationdependsonmobilising knowledge the sharingof knowledgebetweendifferent
actorsinthesystembecomesimportantinordertoenablesuccessfulinnovation(seefigure
9).IthasbeensuggestedthateventheAKISconceptitselfisnotbroadenough,butneedsto
includeruraldevelopmentasa factoraswell (Riveraetal.,2005),asagricultureandrural
developmentareoftenlinkedandcanbeaffectedbypoliciesinbothfields.Riveraetal.(2005)
propose a model in which the agricultural producer is at the centre, and with research,
extension,educationandsupportsystemsallinteractingwiththeproducer,aswellaswith
one another (see figure 10). In this inclusive approach, focus has been putmainly on the
innovationonfarmlevels,andlessonthevaluechainactorsoftheagriculturalproductsthat
wereincludedintheAKISproposedbyEU-SCAR(2012).
Figure10.AmodeltoshowtherelationshipsinAgriculturalKnowledgeandInnovationSystems,includingruraldevelopment.(Riveraetal.,2005)
Agriculturalproducers
Research
Supportsystems
Education
Extension
16
For agricultural producers in northern Sweden, andmany other parts of the country, the
actorstheymeetthemostconcerningtheirproductionaretheextensionservices,whichare
providedbythelocalHushållningssällskapetNorrbotten-Västerbotten.Thesesocietiesstarted
outasalinkbetweenthegovernmentandtheruralpeoplewhentheywereestablishedinthe
early 19th century (Berndtsson and Markgren, 2002) with the purpose of improving the
economicsoftheruralpopulations.Thismeantthattheydidnotonlyworkwithagriculture
but also with schools, hospitals and brokering loans. These activities were increasingly
incorporatedintothepublicsectoroverthecourseofthe19thcentury,andinthe1960’seven
thegovernmentfundingforagriculturalextensionwasremovedfromtheruraleconomyand
agricultural societies (costing them 60-70% of their income) and instead given to county
agriculturalboards,whichhavesinceceasedtoexisttogetherwithstablegovernmentfunding
for agricultural extension. The EU entry did however bring new resources for rural
development projects and education for agricultural producers on ecology and the
environment,whichmanyoftheruraleconomyandagriculturalsocietieshavepickedupand
incorporated into their work. Even despite the loss of income for extension the societies
continuedtheirwork,astheywerealwaysdrivenwithastronglocalfocusandwithmembers
of the local population in the organisation. The changes in policymade thembecome an
intermediary in adouble sense,notonlywere theya linkbetween thepublic andprivate
sector for knowledge but they themselves were funded through both private and public
resources. Their history and strong local anchoring makes them a very interesting and
importantpartoftheagriculturalknowledgeandinnovationsysteminSweden.
17
3. Methodology and method Thisprojectisbasedprimarilyontheoutcomesofinterviewswithberryproducers,conducted
on-siteinnorthernSweden.Interviews,asaqualitativeapproach,werechosenasthemean
ofdatacollectionbecauseofthelimitednumberofblackcurrantproducersinthestudyarea,
aswellastheaimsofthestudy.
3.1 Qualitative research methods Qualitative research methods are meant for “exploring and understanding the meaning
individualsorgroupsascribetoasocialorhumanproblem”(Creswell,2009,p.4).Inregards
todatacollectionitismostoftendoneinasettingtheparticipantchoosesoriscomfortable
with,andthefollowinganalysisisdonebyfindinggeneralthemesinthespecificsmentioned
byinterviewees,therebyrelyingheavilyontheinterpretationmadebythepersonconducting
thestudy(Creswell,2009).Whilequantitativemethodsare innowaytheoppositeofthis,
they tend to drawmore towards testing out (objective) hypotheses by usingmeasurable
variables.For theunderlyingphilosophies forqualitativeandquantitativeresearchdesigns
thequalitativemethodscanbesaidtobuildonaninductivestyle,whilequantitativemethods
relyonamoredeductivestyle.
Within the realm of qualitative research methods there are several different types of
methodologies that can be applied to the project at hand; narrative research,
phenomenology,ethnographies,groundedtheorystudiesandcasestudies(Creswell,2013).
Theseallhaveslightlydifferentcharacteristicsandcanbemoreorlessrelevant,depending
ontheresearchtopic.Ingeneral,thenarrativeapproachcanbesaidtofocusonindividual
experiences,whilethephenomenologicalapproachfocusesondescribingandunderstanding
a shared experienced phenomenon. The grounded theory approach deals more with
developing theorieswith its base in the viewsof the participants, and the ethnographical
approachaimstodescribeandinterpretculturalpatternssharedbyagroup,whilethecase
studyapproachworkstodevelopandprovideunderstandingofoneormorecasesbasedon
in-depth descriptions and analysis (Creswell, 2013). For this project the case study
methodologyhasbeenchosen,astheresearchtopicisthecaseofblackcurrantproductionin
northernSweden.
18
3.2 Selection of participants DuetothelimitednumberofblackcurrantandarcticraspberryproducersinnorthernSweden,
amajorityoftheproducerstowhichHushållningssällskapetcouldprovidecontactdetailsfor,
whichwere still active producers, inNorrbotten countywere selected and interviewed.A
couple of interviewswere also conductedwith producers in Västerbotten county. As this
selectionprovidedfewyoungerproducers,additionalinterviewswerearrangedwithyounger
strawberryproducersinNorrbotten,seetable1forageintervalsofproducers.Abouthalfof
all interviewswithproducerswerewithacouplethatrunorworktogetherwiththeberry
production.Severaloftheproducersworkedwithmorethanonetypeofberry.
Table1.Ageintervalsofinterviewedberryproducers,notdifferentiatedbasedonlocationorcrop.Ageinterval Numberofinterviewedproducers*Under50years 350-60years 4Over60years 4
*Interviewsconductedwithcouplesarestillcountedasoneentityandnotastwoproducers.
3.3 Interviews Themainmethodofdatacollectionwithin thequalitative researchmethods is interviews.
Therearedifferenttypesofinterviewsthatcanbeconducted,generallyrangingfromstrictto
openinregardstoquestionformulation,orderofquestionsandresponseoptions.Asthereis
littlewrittenaboutblackcurrantproducers innorthernSwedentheinterviewsforthiscase
studywere of an explorative style focusing on the individual experiences of producers in
regards to starting a berry production, selling the berries, producer networks, advisory
supportandinformation,andperceptionofopportunitiesforprocessingoftheberries.The
interview was semi-structured to allow the interviewer to structure the interview into
questionthemeswhilestillallowingtheintervieweestocontroltheorderofthethemes,and
tobeabletorespondtothequestionsintheirownwords.
Aninterviewguidewascreatedinpreparationoftheinterviews(seeappendix1)toclarifythe
themes to be covered during the interviews, but this guide was not handed out to the
intervieweesinordertonotsteertheinterview.Theguideincludesseveralquestionsforeach
themeandwasusedasasupportfortheinterviewertocoverallrelevantthemes,whilebeing
abletoshifttheorderofwhichthethemeswereaddressedbasedontheflowoftheinterview.
Eleveninterviewswereconductedwithproducers,andtwowithformerproductionadvisors
19
astheseweredeemedimportanttogainabetteroverviewofthehistoricalcontextfroma
structuralpointofview.Nointerviewguidewasusedfortheinterviewswiththeadvisors,but
individualquestionsbasedontheirspecificfieldsofknowledgewerepreparedbeforehand
andtheinterviewswereveryopenandflexibletoreachtheaimofgainingbetterinsightsinto
thehistoryoftheadvisoryroleandfunction.
Allinterviewswereconductedinthehomeorotherlocationchosenbytheinterviewee.All
interviewswereconductedbetweenOctober17-31,2016andlastedbetween56minutesand
150minutes.Thelargetimespanmainlydependedonhowlongtheproducerhadbeenan
activeberryproducer,aswellasontheirinterestintheinterviews.Astheinterviewswere
conductedinthehomeenvironmentoftheintervieweestheatmospherewasquiteinformal,
andattimesincludedbothcoffeeandlunchwhichincreasedtheinterviewtime.Allinterviews
wererecorded,and laterontranscribed.Aftereach interviewashort recordingorwritten
notewasmadebytheinterviewertopointoutrelevantpointsmadeduringtheinterview.The
interviewswereconductedinSwedish,asthatisthemothertongueorchosenlanguageby
bothintervieweesandinterviewer.
3.4 Analysis The analysis chosen for this study is a typeof thematic analysis,which is a very common
analysisformatwithinqualitativeresearchwiththeaimtodetectpatterns(themes) inthe
data (Creswell, 2009). The method aims to detect underlying patterns in the data by
identifyingvariablesthattogetherwillexplainmostofthecontentandvariationofthedata
collected(Christensenetal.,2016).Thesevariablesconsistofthemesthatwilldescribeand
explainthedata.Thisanalysismethodcanbesaidtoconsistsofthreeprocesses(Christensen
etal.,2016)–thereductionprocess,thestructuringprocessandthevisualizationprocess–
whichtogethermakeupthelastfourofthesixstepssuggestedbyCreswellinhisdescription
oftheanalysismethod(Creswell,2009):
1. Transcribinginterviewsandtypingupfieldnotestoorganizethematerial;
2. Reading through the data, and potentially taking notes or recording thoughts
concerningthedata;
3. Initiating a coding process, which means that the material is reorganized into
segments;
20
4. Generatingdescriptionsofinterviewsubjectsaswellasanalysisthemes.Thesethemes
willthenprovidethemainfindingsofaqualitativestudyandshouldnotbetoomany,
but includedifferentperspectivesgivenby intervieweesaswellasbesupportedby
quotationsandotherevidence;
5. Findingawaytorepresentthethemesanddescriptionsinthequalitativereport;
6. Makinganinterpretationofthedata,topointoutwhatcanbelearnedfromthecase
study.
3.5 Validity The meanings of validity, reliability and generalizability differ between quantitative and
qualitativeapproaches,whichmakesitimportanttoherenotewhatconnotationstheycarry
in regards to this (qualitative)project,basedon thedefinitionsofferedbyCreswell (2009,
basedonGibbs,2007):
Validity means that the researcher checks for the accuracy of the findings by
employingcertainprocedures. (p.190)
Reliability indicatesthattheresearcher’sapproach isconsistentacrossdifferent
researchersanddifferentprojects. (p.190)
Generalizationisatermthatisusedinalimitedwayinqualitativeresearch,since
theintentofthisformofinquiryisnottogeneralizefindingstoindividuals,sites,
orplacesoutsideofthoseunderstudy.(p.192-193)
Bothvalidityandreliabilityinaqualitativeapproacharethereforedependentonprocedures
createdandcarriedoutby theprojectgroup inchargeofdatacollectionandanalysis.For
reliability,theseprocedurescanincludecheckingtranscriptsformistakesorinconsistentcode
definitions, and prioritizing communication as well as shared views and protocols among
researchersandanalysists.Forvalidity,which isa strongpointofqualitative research, the
matter is todetermine if findings are accurate from the standpointof targetperspectives
(Creswell, 2009). This leads to relevant procedures to include the establishing themes by
convergingseveraldatasources,membercheckingbypresentingfindingstoparticipantsto
askaboutaccuracy,clarifyingtheresearchers’ownbiasesandpresentingnotonlyinformation
inlinewiththethemesbutalsodiscrepantinformation.
21
Forthisstudyreliabilitywasassuredbyusingonlyoneinterviewerwiththesameinterview
guidelinesusedforallinterviews.Theinterviewswerealsoconductedwithinasshortatime
periodaspossible (twoweeks) tohave the interviewerkeepmuch the samemindsetand
knowledge level throughout all interviews. It is however near to impossible for another
researchertousethesameguidelinesonthesameinterviewsubjectsandreceivethesame
answers,asthe
Allinterviewswerecompletedbeforecodingandanalysiswereinitiated,andwhilethiscould
be beneficial to decrease the risk of biases being introduced during data collection and
compilation,itgoesagainstthegeneralwayofdatacollectionforqualitativestudies,asthe
analysisisrecommendedtobeconductedsimultaneouslywiththelaterinterviews,inorder
toimprovethechancesofreachingtheoreticalsaturation(Christensenetal.,2016),whichis
whenfurtherinterviewsnolongercontributetonewthemesbutonlycollaboratesprevious
findings. This process was not possible for this study for practical reasons, due to long
distances between interview subjects and the need to conduct the interviews when the
interviewerwasinthearea.
Forthecoding, itwouldhavebeenbeneficial for thecodertobesomeoneotherthanthe
interviewer,toavoidbiasesandminimizepotentialover-orunderanalysisofthedata.
3.6 Ethics Aswithallresearch,ethicsareimportantwhenusingqualitativeresearchapproaches.Using
qualitativemethodologiesthereareseveralethicalissuesthatcanarise,especiallyduringdata
collection and analysis (Creswell, 2009). These ethical issues particularly include consent
procedures,deceptiveactivitiessuchas lyingaboutthepurposeofastudy,powerbalance
between individual interviewees as well as between interviewee and interviewer,
confidentialityofparticipantsinthereport,requestsgoingbeyondsocialnormsandtherole
oftheinterviewerrelativetotheparticipants(Creswell,2013).
Forthisstudy,intervieweeswereinformedofthepurposeandaimsofthestudyoverphone,
aswellasperemailforthosethiswasrelevant,andremindedandofferedachancetoask
questionsatthestartofeachinterview.Itwaspointedoutthatthiswasanexplorativestudy
and that it had no aim to criticize or comment on actions of individual producers, but to
explore experiences and which barriers they perceived towards processing their berries.
22
Intervieweeswerealsotoldtheywouldbesentallquotesfromtheirinterviewswhichmaybe
used in the report, and that they would not be named in the report but handled as
anonymouslyaspossible,giventhelownumberofblackcurrantproducersinthestudyarea.
Todecreasetheriskofahierarchicalrelationshipbetweeninterviewerandintervieweesall
interviews were conducted at a location chosen by the interviewees,most often in their
homes,anditwasmadeclearatthestartoftheinterviewthatallquestionswereoptional,
anditwastheirchoicewhethertorespondornot.
23
4. Results 4.1 The berry value chains
The value chains differ for the different berries produced, according to the interviews.
Producerswithlargerharvestsgenerallysellmoretocompaniesthansmallerproducersthat
aremoredirectedtowardsconsumers.Thevaluechainsaccordingtoproducersaregenerally
short,thoughmanyalsoreporthavinglittleknowledgeofwhatbecomesoftheberriesafter
theyhavebeendelivered toprocessorsorwholesalers,making ithard todeterminewhat
values are actually added throughout the chain. Despite this, the interviews make the
distributionchainquiteclear,asitisarathershortchainwithfewactorsinvolvedascanbe
seeninfigure11.
Figure11.ThedistributionchainforberriesinnorthernSweden,bluerepresentingallstudiedberrieswhileblackrepresentsonlyblackcurrantsandredonlystrawberries.
4.1.1 Blackcurrants
Manyoftheblackcurrantproducershavebeenactiveincultivationsincethe1970’s,andhave
overtheyearssoldtheirberriestoseveraldifferentcompanies.MostreportNorrfrysbeing
the firstbuyer,whoboughtallblackcurrants in thearea (apart fromminorquantitiessold
directly to consumers) and froze them. After a cider factory (musteri) was established in
Hedenäset, just outside Haparanda, all the blackcurrants were sold to it and prizes were
negotiatedbetweentheprocessorandarepresentativeofNBG,afarmercooperativeinwhich
practicallyallblackcurrantproducersinNorrbottenwereapart.Thiscontinueduntilthecider
factoryabruptlystoppedbuyingthelocalblackcurrantsaround2012-2013,somethingwhich
Berryproducers
Singlemajorprocessor
Consumers
Singlemajorwholesaler
Self-pickorpre-picked,forpick-upatfarm
Minorownprocessingforlocalfairs
Minorsalestolocalretailer
24
wasannouncedonlyafewweeksbeforetheharvestthatyear.Afterthisthebuyersbecame
morediverseinthebeginning,withsomeproducerssellingtoajuiceprocessorinthemiddle
of Sweden, and others to a jam processor, a vineyard or increasing sales to consumers.
Discussionshavealsobeenheldwithanaromatechcompanyinterestedintheblackcurrant
buds,butlittlehascomeofityet.Theonlybuyerisnowthejuiceprocessor,whobuysthe
berriesfromacoupleofproducers,whiletherestaresayingthattheirharvestshavebeenso
low in lateryears that theyhavenotbeensellingmore than toconsumers.Oneproducer
recallstheyearswithNorrfrysandtheearlydayswithHedenäsetastheyearswiththebest
pricesfortheberries:1.”Ithinkoneyearwegoteven15or16SEK/kg.Andthathadeveryone
going/…/broughtdownthepricessooneyearwegot0,80SEK/kgandthentheypaid24
SEK/kgfor lingonberries.Sothenyouunderstandthat itwaswrongsomewhere.Andithas
continuedbeingthatwrongbecauseitisglobalblackcurrants,itisnottakenintoconsideration
iftheyareproducedhereeventhoughtheyhaveahigherinnerquality,verydifferentfrom
those that come from the South”.As previouslymentionedmany producers do not recall
pricesastheyhavebeenovertheyears,butwhenaskingaboutthecurrentpriceforberries
aspaidbythejuiceprocessoroneproducersmentions2.”Wegot10SEK/kgearlier,nowwe
get12SEK/kg”suggestingrelativelystablepricelevels.
Inregardstotheplantssomeproducersself-propagatewhileothersbuytheirplants,anda
fewreportissueswithfindinghealthyplantmaterialastheblackcurrantssufferfromquitea
few pests. All blackcurrant producers that were interviewed are now KRAV-certified and
thereforehavetorelyonorganicfertilizersandthemainpesticidetheyuseforblackcurrants,
Raptol.Inregardstocostsofinputsnoproducerhadanyclearnumberstogive,butsuggest
thatifonealreadyownstherightequipmentandpropagatestheirownplantsproductionis
notveryexpensive.Somekeypointsaboutthedifferentactorsmentionedinfigure11canbe
foundbelowinfigure12.
25
Figure12.Thekeythemesconcerningtheblackcurrantvaluechainasconcludedbytheinterviews.*Someoftheproduceisalsosolddirectlytoconsumersasfreshberries
4.1.2 Strawberries
ThestrawberrycultivationhasgrownovertimeinnorthernSweden,andtheproducersall
agree that thedemand is currently larger than the supplywhen it comes to locallygrown
strawberries. Fewproducers grow their strawberrieswithoutpesticidesorherbicides, and
none are KRAV-certified.Most producers started out selling their berries to awholesaler,
Finnerödja, but have since ended that relationship because of difficulties surrounding
transparencyandfairnessandareinsteadsellingdirectlytoconsumersthroughself-pickingin
their fields. Finding cultivars thatwill workwell in their northern conditions have been a
problemattimes,andseveralproducersreportthatdifferentcultivarsworkdifferentlywell
fordifferentproducers.All producers that sell directly to consumers report that returning
customersandmouth-to-mouthprovidetheirmainclientele.Someusedigitalresourcesto
announceopeninghours,andsomehavepreviouslyandstilloccasionallypostedadsinlocal
newspapers.Somekeypointsaboutthedifferentactorsmentionedinfigure11canbefound
belowinfigure13.
Plantmaterial
•Mostoftenself-propragation•Fewvarietiesgrown•Importantpropertiesincludeharvestability
Berries
•Fewkeyharvesters•Peopledependent•Fewadvisors,mainlyoldknowledge•Importedberriesofferseriouscompetition•Hardto"getridof"theberries,fewbuyers
* Processor
•Quickdeliveryafterharvestnecessary(perishable)•Onemainactor•Concentratedjuicetobemadeintoproductinlaterstage•Newinterestgroupsforaromasubstances(otherplantparts)•Fewprocessthemselves
Consumer
•Findstheprocessedproductinretail•Some(producers)sellminorquantitiesofself-processedproductsatfairs•Somesellself-processedproductsatsmallerfarmershops
26
Figure 13. The key themes concerning the strawberry value chain as concluded by the interviews. * SomeproducersselltoFinnerödja,orsmallerquantitiesstraighttolocalsupermarkets.
4.1.3 Arctic raspberries
Sofartherehasnotbeensufficientproductionvolumeforproducerstobeabletoselltheir
produceofarcticraspberriesatanysignificantscale,thoughtheyarereportinglargeinterest
fromhigherendmarketssuchasmarmaladeprocessors,chocolatiersandrestaurants.The
productionitselfisreportedtobethemajorfocus,ashealthyplantmaterialissometimeshard
tocomebyandmildewcanbeaproblem.As theharvest isalsonotmechanized,andthe
berriesmaturecontinuallyontheplant,itcanbeverytimeconsuming.Oneformerproducer
whoalsoprocessedberriesonasmallerscalementionedthehardshipsofchargingenough
fortheproducttopayfortheworkputintoit:3.”Butitisterriblymuchworkandreallyone
shouldtake1000SEKperjar[ofjam],givenallthework.Itisincrediblyhardtochargeforit.
Inpartitislyingandweedingbyhandwhichisahasslewiththeselargefields,andthenpicking
themisquitetimeconsuming.Butyoucannotcountthehoursonthis.”
4.2 Barriers faced by producers
Thechallengesproducersfacecomeindifferentforms,andaregenerallydeeplysituatedin
theirindividualcontexts,buttheinterviewshaveprovidedseveralthemesthatarereflected
inmoreorlessallofthetypesofberryproductionincludedinthisstudyandthesethemes
canbefoundinfigure14.
Plantmaterial
•GenerallyboughtfromHushållningssällskapetorDutchimport
Berries
•Varietiesimportantforharvesttimesandoverwinteringability•Reportlargemarketinterestandnolackofcustomers
* Consumers
•Mainlyfieldpicking•Somepre-picked•Littleadvertisement,mainlyfacebook•Oftenreturningclientele
27
Figure14.Thekeythemesconcerningthebarrierstoimprovingthestrategicpositionoftheproducersintheberryindustryasconcludedbytheinterviews.
4.2.1 Motivation
Motivation is a clear theme in the interviews, with the perceived identity of a producer
togetherwiththereasonforstartingtheberryproductionmakingupthemaininternallimits
ofwhataproduceriswillingtodo.Mostproducersusetheword“grower”whendescribing
themselves. For producers who started their production based mainly on interest of
cultivation,searchingfornewknowledgeandideasandimplementingismorecommonthan
amongthegroupofproducerswhostartedtheirproductionbasedonfinancialinterestsora
directneed.Thelatteroftenreportedhavingstartedwiththeircropbasedonexternaladvice,
especiallyconcerningblackcurrantsasthesewerepromotedbypolitical interestsandlocal
agencies“heldHallelujahmeetings”toencourageproduction.
4. ”Sothenwegotintothatthingwithblackcurrants,thathadbeenpropagatedquitea
bitfor”
5. ”Blackcurrantswerewhatwasinthepipeline”
6. ”Therewerecalculationsthat[showed]youcouldhavegoodprofitability.Theythought
theberrieswouldkeep relativelyhealthyuphereanddiseaseshadnotgottenhere
Motivation
Identityasaproducer
Reasonforstartingaproduction
Timeand(lackof)freedom
Support
Researchandtrials
Institutionalsupport
(knowledgebank)
Cultivation
Situationalconditionswithsoilandclimate
Weedsandpests
Fertilizersandpesticides,herbicides
Healthyplantmaterial
Market
Distances
Vulnerabilitytocheating
Valuesofgrowingimportance
Networks
Relationshipsshiftingfromproducers toconsumers
Persondependentvs.allcompassing
Decreasingaccessandopportunities
Newnetworksforming
Trustbased
28
much,yet.Itwasprettywellpaidthenfortheberries.Thereweremanyblackcurrant
growersinthattime.Nowtherearealmostnoneleft.Itwasalsoquiteeasywithsales
andtransportsbecausetherewheremanythatalsoweregrowersandhadhaulages
thatpickeduptheberriesandtransported(them).”
7. ”You were supposed to get rich from it. /…/ The prognoses that they had then
supportedblackcurrantcultivationalottheninthemid1970’s,youreceivedsupport
fromallsorts. Itwasthecountyadministrativeboard[Länsstyrelsen], Idonotknow
wherethemoneycamefrombutitwasour,thiscountygovernor[Landshövding]that
pushedforit.”
8. ”Iwanted todo something creative that tiresmephysically. I havealways enjoyed
cultivating,sowellthenletustrythat.”
9. ”Iwantedtocultivate,Iwantedtodoberrygrowing.Thatishowitis.”
Manyintervieweesreporttheirreasonforstartingablackcurrantproductiontobethatthey
wanted their land tobeused,andnot to let it sit idle,andblackcurrantsprovidedagood
opportunityduetoitslowlabourrequirementsandthepossibilitytocombineitwithregular
jobs.Despitethismostproducersarementioningalackoftimeandenergyconcerningtheir
production,aswellasinregardstoachievingagoodwork-lifebalance.
10. ”Wehadtriedtogrowbarleyhereand just felt thatwecannot let itgrow,become
overgrownwith bushes, it feltwrongwhen there has been somuchwork put into
improvingthesoilhere.”
11. ”Well we have to do something with the land, and then there was no demand,
absolutelynoneforblackcurrantswhenwestartedandIknowablackcurrantgrower,
hesaidwhatdamnidiotareyouthatstartwithblackcurrantswheneveryoneelseis
quitting.”
12. ”Whenthereislandyouhavetodosomething”
13. “Wehavethisparticularpieceofland,andthemostsuitablecropisthenstrawberries.”
14. ”Thisissosimple,cuttinggrassandthatIdid,whileIworkedIdiditoneveningsand
sometimesweekends.Nobutthisthingwithblackcurrants, it isnotthatmuchwork
withit.Anditisjusttractorwork,andplantingofcourse.SoIdohavealotofhourson
thetractor.Butitwasnotfuntoplantthosecuttings,butitwasnottoobad,twodays.
Putthosesticksdown.Nowadayswehavetransitionedtoplanttheallready-plants.”
29
4.2.2 Support
Severalproducersarequitenegativetowardsthelarge-scaleprocessingindustryaswellas
thedecreasedgovernmentalinterestinhorticulturalproduction,astheyrecalllosingsupport
functionsforproducers,thatpreviouslywereofferedbytheSwedishUniversityofAgricultural
Sciences(SLU)researchstationsinÖjebynandRöbäcksdalen,andbyLänsstyrelsen.Thissense
of lossespeciallyconcernsknowledgecreationandknowledgesharing,butalso includesa
generallackoftrustthatwaspreviouslynotthere.
15. ”Thereisnobigprofitforus,youdonotgetrich.Ifwebreakeventhisyearwehaveto
besatisfied.Butthisblackcurrantsubsidy,itissoverygoodthatwithoutIdonotthink
thiswouldwork.”
16. ”Yesbuttheyhavehadthatallthetime[businesssupportatÖjebyn],butthisthing
withcultivationtheyhavecloseddownmoreandmore.”
17. ”Butwehad, itwassuchthatthemiddlemantookmorethanweourselvesgot.So
then,becausethenwealsohadself-pick,nowwehavemainlyself-pick.Thenitruns
itself.Youjusthavetokeepchecking,butalsodoordersforthosethatcannotpick.”
18. ”NowweonlyhaveHildur [ablackcurrantcultivar],everyoneonlyhasHildur, ithas
beenonlyHildur foryears.Wehavenocultivars,but there isnowhere to takenew
cultivars from.That iswhatyou feel is theproblem,wehavenonewproductionor
development.Nothinghappens.TheyhavelikecloseddownÖjebyn.Thereisnomoney
forit.”
19. ”ButitwasalsosothatwhenIstartedcallingaroundinFinlandandSweden,inFinland
probablytoover20placesandinSwedentoo,anditwasquiteterrifyingtofindout
thatno,weconcentrateourberriestocentralEurope.Theyimportedallberriesalmost.
Itwasquiteterrifyingreally,bothFinlandandSweden.”
4.2.3 Cultivation
The conditions are, as always for producers, a common source of concern with pests,
pathogensandweedsconsumingmuchtimeandeffort.Producersalsoexperiencedifferent
issues,thatappeartorelatetotheirindividualsoilandclimateconditions.Findingsellerswho
canprovidehealthyplantmaterial,freefrompestsandpathogens,whichcanwithstandthe
30
northernclimateisalsoreportedtobeaproblem,andexceptforstrawberriesthereareno
newvarietiesbeingbroughtontothemarket.
20. ”Youaresupposedtochangeplantmaterialquiteoftentomanage.Therewerethese
vinbärsmal [a moth, Incurvaria capitella] and vinbärknoppmal [a moth, Kessleria
ruphella]forawhile,andtheywerequitedestructive.”
21. ”Thatwehaveworkedalotwith,theweeds.Byhand.Theylikeitthebest.”
22. ”Therewerenettlesthere,itwassoterrible,itwasawful.Wewillhavetoseehowthis
works.”
23. ”Thatisjustit,ifyouhavecultivationyouhavetokeepup.IfyouarebehindinSpring
thenyouarebehindallseason,itisthesame,everythinghastobedoneacertaintime,
therighttime.”
24. ”Reallyoneshouldhavehadnewlandandtriedtomoveitsothatthiscanbeoutof
cropsoyoucouldhavecroprotation,butithasnotbeenpossible.”
25. ”Butithasbeenbadsoyoudonotknowiftheplantswerehealthytheneither.Thatis
whatissohard,itishardtogetcuttingssomewherewhenyoudonotknowthatthey
are[healthy].Thiswithknopp-ochskottmal[moths,KessleriaruphellaandIncurvaria
capitella],theyallhaveit.”
26. “Buttherearedifferences,onecultivarworkswellhere,onein[villageA]andonein
[villageB].”
4.2.4 Market
TheperishablenatureoftheberriesmakethelongdistancesinnorthernSwedenhardtodeal
withwhenlookingfornewmarkets.Atthesametimemanyoftheproducerswithpick-your-
ownberriesmentionhavingcustomersthattravelfartocometothem,becausethereareso
fewplaceswheretheycanpickberries.Forproducersnotofferingpick-your-ownberries,they
oftensell theirproducetoonesingleprocessororwholesaler,andhavenootheroptional
buyerstotheirknowledge.
BeforetheJokkconceptwassoldbyNorrmejeriertoProcordiafiveyearsago(Orkla,2012)
most blackcurrant producers delivered their produce to them, andwere only told shortly
beforetheharvestthattheywouldnolongerbuytheirberries.Manyconsidercheapimported
blackcurrantstohavebeenthereasonforthis,andareclaimingthatthewholeberryindustry
31
tendstocheatwhenitcomestotheoriginofberries.Theyalsostatethatberriescultivatedin
northern Sweden are of higher quality than imported berries, and berries from southern
Sweden.
27. ”ButitwaslikeJokk,everyonethoughtitwasberriesfromNorrbottenbutitonlysays
berriesfromthewild.Itissodeceiving.”
28. ”Andithascontinuedtobethatskewedbecauseitisglobal,blackcurrants,thereisno
regardtakenforwhethertheyaregrownhereeventhoughtheyhaveahigherinner
quality,quitedifferentfromthatthatcomesfromtheSouth”
29. ”Ofcoursewewouldliketobeclosertosomeonebuying,itisjusthard.Wehaveno,
andhaveneverhadanythoughtsonanyprocessingourselves,andwhatwesellnow
wehavenomarketingfor,andhavenothaveforseveralyearsaswehavecustomers
thatknowwesellandthatyoucanorderandpickitupwhenithasbeenharvested.
Aboutthatsizeiswhatwefindcomfortable,itwouldprobablybepossibletomarket
andsellmuchmore.Butthenthereiscallingandfixing,weneverknowthatfarahead
whentheharvestwillbe.”
30. “Butthenoneisabitcowardlyatdemanding[ahigherprice],thinkingthatitisbetter
thatwegetridofitthan…Itisprobablybeforeonehasbecomeaname.”
31. “Onecannotfixatealltoomuchonthepriceandinabusinesslikethisthatdoesnot
work,youhavetotakewhatyougettoday”
32. “Thereisprobablymuchtothelatitudethinking.AnotherthingIoftensay,justherein
the region, iswhen you seeand feel strawberries fromhereandwhenwewereat
ÖsterlenandreallyPolka[astrawberrycultivar]theretastesnothingincomparisonto
here.”
4.2.5 Networks
The importance of relationships is clear especially among the older producers, and the
interviewsoftenincludedremarksaboutwhatotherproducersweredoing,orhow,suchas:
33.”Averyfineperson,Ihopehisworkpaysoffbecausehehasputsomucheffortin”.These
relationshipsarebuiltontrusttoaveryhighdegree,andgobeyondrelationshipsbetween
people to also encompass the relationships of an individual producer to institutions or
32
companies.Therearethereforeseveralstatementsreflectinghowtheyaredisappointedor
impressedbyotherproducers,governmentsandsoon.
34. ”ItisthroughNBGyoumeet.”
35. ”Itisprobably,wellyouknowwequitonce,twicewehavequitwithstrawberries,but
somanypeoplehavecalledsayingthatyoucannotstop,thatiswhywestartedagain.”
36. ”Weareintouchwitheveryone”
37. “Getincontactwithpeople,therearealotofforumsontheinternet,peoplewhoare
a bit interested, you can just try, that is what is important, to try.We graft a bit
ourselves,askpeopletosendscionssowecantest.”
38. “Thenwehavebeentothesemeetings,ofNBG,thatisgreat.Oneshouldtakemore
notes,youforget.”
39. “Ihavebeentothesemeetings,anditisreallyhard,youreallyknownothing,soyou
havetoask.Theyaregood,theyarehelpful[NBG].Youcanhearthatthereisalotof
experience,youcannotreadtothatmuchwiththisstrawberryplantation,wellyesyou
canabouthowmuchtodiluteandfertilizeandthat.Butyes,Ithinkthatyouhaveto
makequiteabitofmistakestoseehowitturnsoutjustatourplace.”
In regards to the relationships there is a clear difference between the older and younger
producers,wheretheyoungerproducershavetoa largerextent lookedfortheirnetworks
online, and found them in less formal arrangements than in traditional producer
organisations.Theyalsotendtofocusmoreontheirrelationshipswiththeircustomers,whose
feedback theyactively look for in regards to theirproduceand/orplantmaterial, thanon
relationshipswithsimilarlocalproducers.Theolderproducersdisplaytheoppositeandare
more focused on the relationships between producers, rather than with customers. The
producer organisation Norrbottens Bär och Grönsaker (Berries and Vegetables of North
Botnia)wasalsomoreactivewhileJokkwasstillproducedwithblackcurrantsfromnorthern
Sweden,afterwhichitsactivitieshavedecreased.Someproducerswishitwasmoreactiveas
theexchangeofinformationandexperiences,aswellasthesocialaspects,areofvaluetothe
producers.
Hardlyanyproducersexpressan interest in starting theirownprocessingoperation,apart
fromoccasionalsmall-scaleproductionforChristmasfairsandsimilarevents,despitewanting
33
theretobelocalprocessors.Thereasonsaregenerallynotgivenstraightout,butarediscussed
lateroninthispaper.
4.3 Visions for the berry value chain
In order to find the visions for the value chains itwas important to investigatewhat the
producershadvaluedinpreviousconstellationsofthevaluechain,aswellaswhatideasthey
themselveshadforproductsandprocessingopportunities.
Figure 15. The key themes concerning the producers’ visions for the berry industry as concluded by theinterviews.
Whenaskedforideasorwishestheproducerscameupwithquiteafewproductsthatcould
be interesting, as can be seen above in figure 15.Many refer to a need to increase the
perceived value of cultivated northern berries, which apart from arctic raspberries are
consideredmore as common garden berries than high-value produce. The notion among
producersthatconsumersneedtovalueproductsfromnorthernSwedenhigherthantheydo
Products
Berrypowder
Flavouring(chocolate&icecream)
Smoothieberries
Traditionalproductsbuthigh-end
Mixedcurrantproducts
Low-sugarproducts
Aromaindustry
"Fromnorthern
Sweden"brand
Processing
Localprocessors
High-endproducts
Integratedproductionandprocessing
Recipesuggestions
Left-overfruitprocessing
Networks
Exchangingexperiences
Coursesandinspiration
Research/trials
Moreonlinepresence
Multifunctionalproduction
Knowledgebank
34
todayisusuallyaccompaniedbytheideaofcreatingsometypeofcertificationorbrand.One
producerwentevenfurtherandsuggesteditshouldincorporatemorethanjustberriesand
ratherfocusonalltypesoffoodandgobeyondthecountryborderstostrengthenthestanding
ofnorthernproducers andprocessorsona global scale: 40.“Scandinavianeedsa sensory
profile”.
Almostall producerswish for there tobe localprocessors towhich they couldbring their
produce,orinsomecasesthefruitwhichisleft-over.BasedontheexperiencewithJokksome
stateaneedforproductionandprocessingtobe integratedintoonecompany,toprevent
processorsfromchoosingimportedberriesoverlocalones.
Thevisionregardingnetworksincludereintroducingtheinspirationalandknowledgecreating
role once held by Hushållningssällskapet and Länsstyrelsen, though the actors can be
different. Especially young producers express awish for a common platform to exchange
experiencesandideas,butarealsodisplayingalargertendencytolookfortheirowngroups
andinformationonlineandtohavetheirproductionasonlyonepartoftheirbusiness,where
nurseriesorgardencentresareacommonsecondpart.Manyproducersareinterpretingthe
alterationsatÖjebynasasignthatcultivationisnolongerofinteresttoauthorities,andthat
nonewknowledgeisbeingcreatedsuchasitusedtobe,includingnewvarietiesandadvisory
functions.Thereisalsoasenseoflossofknowledge,andthatknowledgeistiedtospecific
individuals,andthatthereisaneedtogathertheknowledgegainedbyadvisors,producers
andotheractors.
Whilemanyproducerslingerinthepastandtalkaboutwhathasbeen,andhowtheconditions
surroundingtheirproductionhaschangedsincethen,somearealsotouchingonwhatcould
bedonenowandhowforexampleprocessingcouldlookmoreintomixingdifferentkindsof
currants (red,white,blackandmorerecently introducedkinds)ornewcultivarsaswellas
entirely new berries could be found abroad. Saskatoon is one interesting berry that was
mentioned,comingfromNorthAmerica.Asoneproducerputitconcerningtheirownroleand
responsibility: 41. “We need to understand ourselves and our opportunities” and 42. “We
cannotcloseoureyesuntilitistimetosellit,thereisneedforadialogue”.
35
5. Discussion 5.1 Position of producers following the Five Forces model
Based on what producers have mentioned during the interviews, and the value chains
producedbasedonthisintheresultsectionthepositionoftheproducersaccordingtothe
fiveforcesmodelcanbedescribedasinfigures16-18.
Figure16.Figureshowingthestrengthofthefiveforcesaffectingblackcurrantproducers.
For theblackcurrants thecompetitorswithwhomthenorthernproducersexperience true
rivalryisprimarilyforeignproducers,especiallyincentralEurope,whicharebenefittingfrom
lower costs as well as higher yields. As the Swedish blackcurrants have not managed to
distinguishthemselvesintheeyesofbuyerstheyareonthelosingsideofthisrivalry.Thisis
alsothereasontothehighbargainingpowerheldbythebuyers,whichcaneasilyreplacethe
Swedishblackcurrantswithblackcurrantsproducedinothercountriesiftheychoosetodoso.
Asthemarketiscurrentlynottoogoodforblackcurrantproducersthethreatofnewentrants
islessofathreatwhenonlyconsideringSweden,butgloballyitcanbeamatterandgiventhat
blackcurrantscanbegrowninmanylocationsaroundtheworldthereisariskforincreased
competitionfromnewentrants,especiallysinceaproducerdoesnotneedtostartonalarge
scaleormakelargeinitialinvestmentsinmostcases.BlackcurrantsinSwedenholdnospecific
positionintheeyeofconsumers,unlikestrawberriesforexample,makingitmoresusceptible
Rivalryamong
competitors:HIGH
Threatofnew
entrant:MODERATE
Bargainingpowerofbuyers:HIGH
Threatofsubstitutes:MODERATE
Bargainingpowerofsuppliers:LOW
36
tosubstitutionfromotherberries.Asmanyblackcurrantproducersmaketheirowncuttings
theonlycrucialsupplierforthemarethosesellingfertilizersandthepesticideRaptol.Asfigure
16showstheoverallstrategicpositionofblackcurrantproducersintheberryindustryisquite
weak,withstrongcompetitionfromforeignproducersaswellasastrongbuyerside.Almost
allproducersarenowgrowingblackcurrantsaccordingtoorganicstandards(KRAV-certified)
and this could come to increase supplier power, as producers aremorebound to specific
products.
Figure17.Figureshowingthestrengthofthefiveforcesaffectingstrawberryproducers.
Thestrawberryproductionisseenashavingabrightfuturewithdemandbeinghigherthan
supplyinnorthernSwedenaccordingtotheproducers.Thismakesthecurrentrivalryquite
moderate as producers employing self-pick all have “their” regions, and consumers put a
highervalueonSwedishandlocalberriesascomparedtoimported,whichalsomakesbuyer
powerandthe threatof substitutionmoderate.Producers requirenospecific inputsapart
fromplantmaterial,makingsupplierpowermoderate.Asthemarketandasitappearsstill
expandingwhenitcomestopick-your-ownberries,andthecostsofenteringthemarketis
rather low the threat of new entrants is high. This all makes the strategic position of
strawberryproducersrelativelystable(seefigure17),thoughitcanbeimprovedfurther.
Rivalryamong
competitors:MODERATE
Threatofnew
entrant:HIGH
Bargainingpowerofbuyers:
MODERATE
Threatofsubstitutes:MODERATE
Bargainingpowerofsuppliers:MODERATE
37
Thearcticraspberryproductionisstillsosmallthattheberryisconsideredaluxuryproduct,
resultinginlowbargainingpowerofbuyersaswellaslowrivalryamongproducersasdemand
islargerthansupplyatthisstage.Thethreatofnewentrantsisalsomoderate,asquiteabit
ofknowledgeandcultivationmethodstillneedstobedevelopedinordertocreateefficient
production.Theberriescanalsonotbegrownfurthersouthduetoclimateconditions,making
itnecessaryfornewentrantstoestablishthemselvesinamorenarrowgeographicalsphere.
Thethreatofsubstitutesisalsomoderateastheberryiscurrentlyconsideredaluxuryproduct,
especiallyduetothelowsupply.Thiscouldhoweverchangeifproductionincreases,andifthe
berryisnotpositionedwelltoseparateitsvaluesfromotherberries.Supplierpowerislow
due toproducers generallyproducing theirownplantmaterial and requiring little specific
inputs.Allinallthestrategicpositionofthearcticraspberryproducersisgood,ascanbeseen
infigure18,butduetotheclearchallengesoftheproductionitself(cultivation,harvest)itis
hardtosaywhetherthiswillbecomeasuccessfulcommercialberry.
Figure18.Figureshowingthestrengthofthefiveforcesaffectingarcticraspberryproducers.
5.2 Comparison of value chains
Allberryproducersthataresellingtowholesalersorprocessorshaveonlyoneoutletfortheir
berries,andthesheeruseoftheterms“gettingridoftheberries”whichiscommonlyused
Rivalryamong
competitors:LOW
Threatofnew
entrants:MODERATE
Bargainingpowerofbuyers:LOW
Threatofsubstitutes:MODERATE
Bargainingpowerofsuppliers:LOW
38
createsthesensethatittrulyisabuyer’smarket,andthattheproducersdonothavemuch
bargainingpowerincomparison.Thisisalsoreflectedinhowblackcurrantproducersreport
havingtotakethepricetheyaregiven,ratherthanbeingabletonegotiatetheprices:“But
thenoneisabitcowardlyatdemanding[ahigherprice],thinkingthatitisbetterthatweget
ridofitthan…Itisprobablybeforeonehasbecomeaname.”,“Ithinktheyhavefixatedalltoo
muchonthepriceandinabusinesslikethisthatdoesnotwork,youhavetotakewhatyouget
today”.Takentogetheritallsuggestsarathervulnerablesystem,withbothpowerimbalances
andahighdependencyononlyafewactors.Theproducersarealsofacingfiercecompetition
fromimportedberries,withwhichtheyareunabletocompetebasedonqualityasneither
processorsnorconsumersappeartounderstandSwedishblackcurrantstobeofbetterquality
than imported berries. This is something which could be helped by research to look at
chemical profiles and sensory tests. If berries from northern Sweden do provide a higher
quality that should also be reflected in their value and improve the bargaining power of
producers.Thisresearchisalsolackinginregardstostrawberries,whicharemainlycompeting
withstrawberriesfromproducersinsouthernSweden,duetothelargerconsumerpreference
forSwedishstrawberries.Someproducersaregenerallyfocusedonthelatitudetheory,that
berries cultivated in the North contain more antioxidants as well as higher sugar levels
(perceivedasmoreflavour)thanthosecultivatedintheSouth:“thereisprobablymuchtothe
latitudethinking.AnotherthingIoftensay,justhereintheregion,iswhenyouseeandfeel
strawberriesfromhereandwhenwewereatÖsterlenandreallyPolka[astrawberrycultivar]
theretastesnothingincomparisontohere.”
5.3 Knowledge and innovation systems
Theamongproducersperceiveddeclineinbothresearchandextensionfocusedonberriesin
northernSwedenbecomesclearintheinterviews.Inthecaseofblackcurrantsthereisalsoa
senseof lossof interest fromthegovernmentasespecially thecountyadministrationwas
previously quite involved in supporting the blackcurrant production. The strawberry
productionontheotherhandalwaysappearstohavedevelopedmoreslowly,drivenmoreby
the market than by politics, and has not experienced as large a change in their support
structureandoverallknowledgeandinnovationsystemastheblackcurrantproducershave.
Forthearcticraspberriesthereisreasontosuspectthatlackoflocalknowledgecreationand
sharingcouldhavekeptproductiondown,asthereislittleknowledgeaccessibletoproducers
39
andespeciallylittleknowledgebeingproducedthatcanhelpwiththechallengingcultivation
andharvest.
5.4 Suggestions for improvement
Attheheartofthequestionwhyproducersarenotbecomingprocessorsappearstobethe
matterofidentity.Asmostproducerschoosetodefinethemselvesas“growers”,andalways
talkedaboutprocessorsas“them”,itseemsreasonabletoassumethatthereisindeedadivide
betweenthetwogroups,andthatitisamatterofhowtheyidentifythemselves,andtheir
reasons for producing berries. Given howNBG is a producers-only network, and how the
producershavegenerallynotbeeninanynetworkswithprocessorsthiscomesacrossasquite
natural,anda logical leapwouldthereforebetotrytocreateplatformsforproducersand
processors tomeet.While therearediscussionsabout theprocessing industry, thiswould
requirelargequantitiesofproduce,somethingwhichfewofthecurrentproducersareableto
guaranteeorevenhopeforgiventhedecliningharvestsofmanyfields.Anotherinteresting
potentialmarket,which the producers appear less vary off than the industry, is high-end
processedproducts,whichcouldincludee.g.artisanfood.Forthistherearealreadynetworks,
EldrimnerinJämtlandinparticular,andIseeanunder-exploredpotentialinlinkingproducers
andprocessorstocreatehigh-valueproductsthatcanhelptopromotenorthernflavours.This
would also allow producers to focus their time and efforts on their cultivation, and for
processorstobeabletofocusontheircraft,whilehopefullydevelopingpartnershipsthatcan
help both sides by better managing their resources in regards to both time, money and
knowledge.
ThechangesthatarehappeningbothinÖjebynandinsocietyatlargearepointingtowardsa
potentialfornewplatformsforcollaborations,andparticularlyforexchangesofinformation
andknowledge.Whilemanyoftheolderproducershaveastrongnetworkoflocalproducers,
youngeronesdonotandare instead looking fornetworksandknowledge inotherplaces,
something which could be used by creating accessible online resources, where
communication between producers and advisors or can be promoted. Despite most
intervieweesbeingonlinetocheckonethingortheotherduringmyvisit,thereappearstobe
nocommonplatformforthem,neitherforthemtoreceiveinformationortocommunicate.
ThisissomethingIbelievewillonlybecomebigger,andtheyoungerproducersarealready
40
tryingtogatherinformationaboutcultivation,andinspiration,fromanywherepossiblesothe
needisthere.Thereisaneedforcontinuousdevelopmentofnewvarietiesandcultivation
methodsandmanyofthelessonslearnedinsouthernSweden,oreveninonepartofnorthern
Sweden,donotapply toconditions facedelsewhere,asconcludedby theproducers:“But
therearedifferences,onecultivarworkswellhere,onein[villageA]andonein[villageB]”.
Thisbegsthequestionofwhoshouldberesponsibleforthis.Themarkethereisquitesmall,
andvarietiesdevelopedfornorthernconditionsareprobablyoflimitedinterestinotherparts
ofthecountry,butmaywellbeofinterestinothernortherncountries.Manyoftheproducers
are looking to Finland for new knowledge and cultivars, and there should be reasons to
consider a collaboration across the borders, to try varieties out in different countries to
increase the potential market for the plant material as well, and to use resources more
efficiently.
ThereregionalfoodstrategyforNorrbottensuggeststhatthecountyisalreadyawareofmany
of the interventions suggested here when it comes both to connecting producers with
processors and tourism agencies and events, and to the need of securing the further
developmentofcompetenceintheregion.Theyalsoidentifytheneedtoreachproducersand
othervaluechainactorstodeepentheunderstandingofthevaluechainforallinvolved,as
well as improve entrepreneurship and thereby the inner motivation and competence of
producers,amongothers.Allinallthestrategyentailsmanyrelevantandinterestingmeasures
tobetakentoincreasetheproductionandperceptionofagriculturalproductsproducedin
Norrbotten,anditwillbeinterestingtoseewhatwillcomeoutofit.Onethingitappearsto
lackthoughisplansforcollaborationswithothercounties,orevencountries,tocreateand
shareknowledgewhichcouldhelpimprovethechallengesfacedincultivationamongother
areas,andintheendimprovetheconditionsforinnovationtooccur.
5.5 Suggestions for future research
As it was mentioned in the introduction, not that many studies have been done on
horticulturalproductioninnorthernSweden,andespeciallynotonberrieswhicharethemain
horticulturalcropinthatclimate.Thisstudywasexploratoryinitsnatureduetothis,andit
canhopefullyhelptoshedsomelightonthepotentialforfuturestudiesthatcanhelpfurther
theknowledgeinthefieldofhorticulturaleconomics,andbeyondit.
41
For starters it would be interesting to further study the internal drivers and brakes of
producers,asthisstudysuggeststhatidentityandmotivationarecrucialindetermininghow
a producer actswhen facedwith change aswell aswhether the producer actively drives
change.Anotherimportanttopicforafuturestudywouldbetheagriculturalknowledgeand
innovation systemsandhowwhat roles theyplay indifferenthorticultural industries, and
especiallyindifferentgeographicalregions.
Amorecomprehensiveruralperspectivewouldalsobeusefulinastudylookingintopotential
collaborationstofurthertheruralpopulationsatlarge,wheretourismoreventscouldwell
work together with production or processing to provide an increased added value to
consumers.
AnotherfieldthatwouldbeofinterestisastudyofhorticulturalindustriesbasedonPorter’s
fiveforcesmodel,andtotakeahistoricalviewpointtoseehowpositionsofproducershave
changedovertimeandiftherearepatternsinhow,atleastcertain,horticulturalindustries
developinregardstothepositionsoftheproducers.Thiscouldthenbeofhelpinfindinggood
examplesofeffortsthatcanimprovethestrategicpositionofproducers.
Inregardstothevaluechainsstudiedforthisthesistherearestillnooksandcreviceswaiting
tobestudied,amongthemonethatwouldmeandivingintothevaluechainstoactuallysort
outwhereandhowvalue isadded,aswellashowcostsarecarriedanddividedbetween
actorsinthevaluechain.Forthisitwouldbeusefultoshiftfocusfromtheproducerstothe
entirevaluechainwithallitsactors.
Takenalltogetherthereisstillmuchtostudyandresearchabouthorticulturalproductionin
northernSweden.Thisisespeciallytruewhenventuringoutofthefieldofcultivationandinto
the fieldofeconomics,andunavoidablyalso ruraldevelopmentas theseare tightly linked
whentheproducersthemselvesareapartoftheruralpopulations.
42
6. Conclusions The national food strategy is becoming a reality and as one of its strategic areas is
knowledge and innovation it appears clear that we need to know how to further
knowledgecreationandinnovationinouragriculturalandhorticulturalsystems.Thiscase
studyhasstudiedberryproducersinnorthernSwedenandtheirpositionandroleinthe
berryvaluechains,toexplorewhichbarriersappeartoexistpreventingproducersfrom
creatinginnovationinthevaluechain,andwhichpotentialforimprovementtheyseein
thefuturetoovercomethosebarriers.Themainfindingsofthiscasestudyarethatthere
isaneedforcommonplatformsthatbringtogetherdifferentactorsinthevaluechain,and
encourages networking and knowledge sharing between them, as well as a stronger
support network to capture and help create new knowledge, which is the basis for
innovation. There is also a potential for more rural networks, to find new business
opportunities for creating added value to consumers by supporting collaborations
between forexampleproducersandprocessors,orproducersand tourismagents.The
studyhasalsofoundthattherearedifferencesbetweenproducers,inregardstohowthey
view themselves as producers and in what drives them to produce berries, which
influenceshowlikelyaproduceristobeinnovativeandopentonewventuresthatcan
helptodevelopthelocalindustry.Inadditiontothefindingsaboutproducersandtheir
rolesinvaluechains,thestudyhasalsoservedasanexampleofhowpoliciesandpolitical
decisionscanaffectvaluechainsandtheattitudesofitsactorsforalongtime,asinthe
caseofblackcurrantswhere theproductionwaspromotedby localauthorities to later
becomeapartofthederegulationofmarkets.
43
7. Reflections DuringmyyearsasastudentIhaveworkedalotforstudentorganisations,whichhasgiven
meachancetoworkonastrategiclevel.Togetherwithmystudiesthishasmademeinclined
toalwayslookatsystemsratherthanindividualentities,howevermessyandinterconnected
thesesystemsmaybe.WhenIstartedthisthesis,Iwasthereforeveryfocusedonlookingat
systematic barriers and opportunities, as I was imagining that for example improved
communicationorinfrastructurewouldbethekeytomakeproducersintoprocessors.What
Iquicklystartedrealisingduringtheinterviewsthough,wasthatthingswerenotthatclear-
cut in reality,and inmyanalysis I startedseeing that theparameters thatappeared tobe
hinderingthisshiftwasreallytobefoundbetweenthelines,orinthemattersnotdiscussed
directly. The fact that identity and attitudes, together with a network or platform for
knowledgecreationandsharing,andsocialrelationshipsseemedtobeattherealcoreofthe
answerthereforesurprisedme.Ittookawhiletorealisethatmydatawasreallysayingthat
theanswerastowhytheregionalberryproductioninnorthernSwedenlooksthewayitdoes
liesinthehumanfactors,somemoreindividualandothersmoreintheinterfacesbetween
actorsinthevaluechain.Insocietyatlarge,itappearsthatparameterswhichcaneasilybe
quantifiedaremoreusefultoinformpolicyandchangestoasystem,especiallyinregardsto
followingupactivitiesandchanges,buthavingfollowedthedataratherthanmyownoriginal
ideasIamleftwonderingifwesometimesneedtolookbeyondthequantifiabletofindwhere
changecanreallymakeadifference.
AnotherthingwhichIcametorealiseduringtheinterviewswashowunawaremanyproducers
areofthesystemtheyarein,wheremanydonotknowwhatbuyersdowiththeirberries,
howtheircompetitionreallylooks,whatpriceswouldbeneededbasedoncostsandperceived
values, and so on. They simply work the way they have always done, sometimes trying
somethingnewbecauseofinterestorbecausetheyhaveheardaboutitfromsomeonethey
know.AsIwasexpectingthemtobemoreawareoftheentiretyofthevaluechainstheywere
in,orhowpriceslookedalongthevaluechain,Ihadtochangemywayofaskingaboutover
thecourseoftheinterviewweek,andacceptthatnomatterhowIaskedtherewouldnotbe
ananswerascomprehensiveasthatwhichIhadexpected.
44
ThereareseveralthingsIbringwithmefromthisthesiswork,includinghowimportantitisto
remainopentowhatthedataistrulytellingyou,howtherewillalwaysbethingsthatdonot
goaccordingtoplan,andhowworkingwithdatacanbeharderthanexpected.Iforonehad
neverbeforeconductedastudybasedoninterviews,andthereforefailedtorealiseaheadof
timehowmuchtimeittakestotranscribeandanalyseinterviews.InmycaseIendedupwith
almost24hoursofinterviews,whichtookweekstotranscribeasIsoonrealisedthatagood
daymeanttranscribinganabsolutemaximumof1,5hoursworthofinterviewtime,aseach
interviewhourtookroughly3hourstotranscribe.Inretrospect,Irealizethatamorelimited
interview,wherebothtimeandtopicsdiscussedweremorecontrolledbyme,wouldhave
decreasedmyworkloadsignificantly.AtthesametimeIdoubtIwouldhavecomeoutwith
thesameresults,asmanyofmyfindingscamequiteabitintotheinterviews,whenIallowed
theintervieweestotalkaboutthetopicsthattheywerethemostinterestedinthemselves.
Allinall,Ihavetrulyenjoyedworkingwiththisthesis,especiallybecauseofthepeopleIhave
beenable tomeet, all the theories I havebeen introduced toand theway it hashadme
constantlyquestionmyideasandassumptions.
45
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I
Appendix 1: Interview guide Shortpresentationoftheresearchprojectwithitspurposeandaims.DegreeprojectwithinthehorticulturalscienceprogrammeatSLU.The situation of berry producers in northern Sweden, including the history and current state.Challenges,motivations,reflectionsetcalongtheway.Elevenproducersinterviewed.RoleisnottocriticallyexamineindividualsbuttofindpatternsexplainingthecurrentsituationofberryproducersinnorthernSweden.TechnicaldetailsApproximately1hourSoundrecordingAnonymityWillgettheopportunitytocommentonthequotesusedforthethesisBackgroundinformationTellmealittleaboutyourberryproduction?
- Whendidyoustart?- Howlargeistheproductionarea?- Whatdoyouproduce?- Whereisyourproduction?
Interviewthemes1
Motivation- Whatmadeyoustartaproduction?- Doyouhaveothersourcesofincomeapartfromtheberryproduction?- Whatadvicewouldyougiveaproducerjuststartingout?- Whichopportunitiesdoyouseenowandinthefuture?- Whatisyourbiggestchallengeasaberryproducer?
Supportnetwork- Areyouincontactwithotherproducers?How?- Whichsupportwastherewhenyoustartedoutasaproducer?- Howdoyoureceiveorfindnewinformationorknowledgeconcerningyourproduction?How
wouldyoulikeittowork?Valuechain
- Howdoyousellyourproduce?Throughwhichchannels?- Howarepricesnegotiated?- Whatdoesthebuyerdowiththeproduce?- Howdoyoufindbuyers?- Whichprocessedproductsdoyouthinkwouldbeinterestingtodevelop?
Production- Whatdoesaproductionyearlooklike?- Howdoyoushiporpackagetheproduce?
1Thethemeswereoriginallyorganisedaccordingtoatemporalscale,focusingonwhentheproducerbeganproductiontothecurrentstatetofuturevisions.Thiswasreorganisedafterthefirsttwointerviewsasintervieweesshowedaclearpreferencetofocusonthemesratherthantime.Allthemesthereforeincludethesethreetemporalaspectseventhoughtheyarenotmentionedhere.
II
Appendix 2: Original interview quotes in Swedish Valuechain
1. ”Jagtrorettårfickvitillochmedja15eller16kr/kg.Ochdetlockadejuigångalla/…/togjunerprisernasåettårfickviju80öre/kgochdåbetaladede24kr/kgförlingonen.Sådåförstårmanattdetjuvarsnettnågonstans.Ochdetharjufortsattmedattvarasådärsnettfördetär juglobaltdetsvartavinbär,dettas ju intehänsyntillomdeärodladehärfaständeharhögredeninrekvalitetenärjubetydligtannorlundaändetsomkommerneröver.”
2. “Viharjufått10kr/kgförr,nufårvi12”3. ”Mendetärfruktansvärtmycketjobbochegentligenskullemanta1000spänn[sylt]burken
medtankepåalltjobb.Detärotroligtsvårtatttabetalt.”Delsärdetattliggaochrensaförhand, ogräs, vilket är jättejobbigt med de här stora fälten, sen plocka dem är ganskatidsödande.Mendetgårinteatthanågontimtidpådethär”
Motivation
4. ”Sådåkomviinpådetdärmedsvartavinbärsomdetjupropageratsenheldelför”5. ”Svartavinbärvardetsomvaraktuellt”6. ”Detfannskalkylerattmanskullekunnahaengodlönsamhet.Mantroddeattbärenskulle
hållasigganskafriskahäruppeochsjukdomarhadeintekommitsåmycketav,änkanske.Detvarvälganskabrabetaltjustdåförbären.Detfannsjumångavinbärsodlareidensvängen.Nuärdetnästaningakvar.Senvardetocksåganskalättsamtmedförsäljningochtransporterfördetvarmångasomocksåvarodlaresomhadeåkeriochhämtadebärenochkörde.”
7. ”Manskullebli rikpådet./…/ Joprognosernasomdehadedådet stöddes juvinbärsodlingmycketdåpåmittenav70-talet,manfickstödfrånalltmöjligt.Detvarjulänsstyrelsen,jagvetintevarifrånpengarnakommendetvarjuvårdenhärlandshövdingensomdrogpå.Nådetvarjuovandärnärviskullebörjameddetdärintevetjagnuomdetharvaritmenriktigtsåhardetvälaldrigvaritsåmycket.Prognosernavisade.”
8. ”Jagvillgöranågotkreativtsåjagblirtröttikroppen.Jagharjualltidtycktomattodlaså,jamendåprovarvidet”
9. ”Ellerjagvilleodla,jagvillehållapåmedbärodling.Sådärärdet.”10. ”Vihadejuprovatattodlakornhärochkändejubaraattvikanjuintelåtadetväxa,jamen
förbuskas,detkändesjufelnärdetärsåmycketjobbsomärlagtnerförattfåuppjordenhär.”11. ”Javimåstejugöranågontingpåmarken,ochdåfannsdetjuingenefterfrågan,absolutingen
påsvartavinbärnärvibörjadeochjagvetenjordgubbsodlarenerei,hansavadärduförenförbannadidiotsombörjarmedsvartavinbärnärallaandraslutar.”
12. ”Finnsdetmarksåskamanjugöranågot.”13. ”Viharjustdenhärjordplätten,ochdenlämpligastegrödanblirjujordgubbar.”14. ”Dethärärjusåenkelt,detärjuklippagräsochdetkördejagjumedanmanjobbadegjorde
manjudetpåkvällarnaochiblandpåhelger.Nämendethärmedsvartavinbärdetärjuändåintesåhemsktmycketjobbmeddet.Ochdetärbaratraktorjobb,ochplanteringvisserligen.Så nog har jag väldigtmånga timmar på traktorn.Men var då inte roligt att sätta de därsticklingarna,nogvardetintefarligt,tvådagar.Stoppanerdedärpinnarna.Numeraharvidockgåttövertillplanteringavfärdigaplantor.”
Support
15. ”Inteblirdetnågonstorvinstföross,inteblirmanrik.Gårdetihopiårfårvivälvaranöjda.Mendethärbidragetsvartavinbärsbidragetdetärjusåmycketbrasåutandettrorjagintedetskullegå.”
III
16. ”Jomendehardehafthelatiden,mendethärmedodlingdehardelagtnermerochmer.”(omÖjebynochföretagsstödförodlare)
17. ”Menvifick,detvarjusåmellanhandentogmeränvadvificksjälv.Sådå,fördåsåldeviävendåsjälvplocksåärdetmestsjälvplockvisäljer.Dåsköterdetjusigsjälv.Manfårbarakolla,menävendåbeställningfördesomintekanplocka.”
18. ”NuharvibaraHildur,allaharbaraHildur,detharvaritåratalbaraHildur.Viharingasorter,mendetäringenstansatttahellernyasorter.Detärdetmankännerärproblemet,viharjuinganyaproduktionellerutveckling.Dethänderingenting.DeharsomlagtneriÖjebyn.Manharjusomintepengarfördet.”
19. ”OchsenmendetvarjudetocksåattnärjagbörjaderingaruntiFinlandochiSverige,iFinlandsäkertöver20olikaställenochiSverigeocksåochdetvarjuganskaskrämmandesåmanfickjuredapåattnejvikoncentrerarvårabärtillmellerstaEuropa.Deimporteradeallabärnästan.Detvarjuganskaskrämmandefaktiskt.BådeFinlandochSverige.”
Cultivation
20. ”Jo, egentligen ska man byta växtmaterial ganska ofta för att klara sig. De var de härvinbärsmalochvinbärsknoppmaletttagsomvarganskaförödande.”
21. ”Detharvijobbatmycketmed,ogräset.Förhanddå.Dettrivsjubäst.”22. ”Devarjubrännässlornadärdetvarjusåhemsktdetvarfruktansvärt.Vifårsehurdethär
går.”23. ”Detärjubaradet,harmanodling,manmåstehållaefter.Blirmanefterpåvårendåärman
efterhelasäsongen,detärjusammaalltmåstegörasenvisstid,irätttidjo.”24. ”Nej,detharviinte,såegentligenskullevijuhaftennymarkochsåhademanförsöktattdär
kunnaflyttasåfårdetdärvaraiträdesåmanskullehaväxelodling,mendetharjuintegått.”25. ”Mendetharjuvaritsomdåligtsåmanvetinteombuskarnavarheltfriskadåheller.Detär
judetsomärjusvårt,detärsåsvårtattfånågonstanssticklingarnärmanintevetattdeär.Dethärmedknoppmalenochskottmalendetharjuallihopa”
26. “Mendetärskillnad,ensortgårbrahär,eni[OrtX]ocheni[OrtY]”
Market
27. ”Menjajustdet,jagärju,mendetvarjusomJokkkomocksåattallatroddeattdetvarjubärfrånNorrbottenochmendetståratt"bärfrånvildmark".Detärsåvilseledande”
28. ”Ochdetharjufortsattmedattvarasådärsnettfördetärjuglobaltdetsvartavinbär,dettasjuintehänsyntillomdeärodladehärfaständeharhögredeninrekvalitetenärjubetydligtannorlundaändetsomkommerneröver”
29. ”Klartviskulleviljahanärmaretillnågonsomköper,detärbarasvårt.Vihar ingaochharaldrighafttankarpånågonförädlingsjälv,ochdetvinusäljerharviingenmarknadsföringför,ochharintehaftpåfleraårdåviharkundersomvetattvisäljerochattmankanbeställaochhämtanärdetskördats.Ungefärdenomfattningtyckerviärbekvämt,detskullenoggåattmarknadsföraochsäljamycketmer.Mendåskadetringasochordnas,vivetaldrigsålångtiförvägnärskördenblir.”
30. “Mensåärmanjulitefegapåatttaut,tänkerattdetärbättreattvibliravmeddetänatt.Detärvälinnanmanblivitnågotnamn.”
31. “Manfårintefixeraalltförmycketpåprisetochiensånhärbranschgårdetinte,manfårtadetmanfåridag”.
IV
32. “Det liggernogmycketpåbreddgradstänket.Enannansaksom jagbrukarsägabarahär ilänet,detärnärmanserochkännerpåjordgubbarfrånhärifrånochvivarpåÖsterlenochalltsåPolkadärsmakarjuingentingiförhållandetillhär.”
Networks
33. ”Väldigtfinmänniska,jaghoppasattdetblirnågontingavhansarbeteförhanharlagtnersåmycketjobb”
34. ”DetärjuviaNBGmanträffas.”35. ”Detärnog,jaduvetvislutadejuengång,tvågångerharvislutat,medjordgubbarmendet
harringtsåmycketfolkattnifårintesluta,detärdärförvibörjadeomigen”36. ”Viharkontaktmedalla.”37. ”Hittakontaktmedfolk,detfinnsmycketforumpånätet,folksomärlitesmåintresserade,det
ärbaraatt testa,detärdetsomärviktigt,att testa,viymparendelsjälva,ber folkskickaympkvistarsåvikantesta.”
38. ”Sen har vi ju varit på de härmötena, NBGs, det är ju jättebra, jätteroligt.Man borde juantecknamer,manglömmerjubort.”
39. ”Jagharjuvaritpådehärmöten,dehärträffarnaochdetärjujättesvårt,manvetjuingentingalltså,såmanfårjufråga.Detärjubra,deärhjälpsamma(NBG).Manhörjuattdetärmycketerfarenhet,mankaninteläsasigtillsåmycketmeddenhärjordgubbsplanteringen,alltsåjodetkanmanjuhurmanskaspädaochdenhärgödslingenochdet.Menjajagtrormanmåstegöraganskamycketmisstagförattsehurdetblirjusthososs.”
Visions
40. ”Skandinavienbehöverensensoriskprofil”41. ”Vimåsteförståosssjälvaochvåramöjligheter”42. ”Vifårinteblundatillsviskasäljadet,detbehövsendialog”