Agroecological Mariculture : a case study of seaweed farming in Denmark

Sammanfattning: This thesis will seek to analyze the current state of seaweed farming in Denmark through an agroecological perspective. The focus is on the production systems and their challenges. Additionally, the future scenario for seaweed cultivation in Denmark and to what extent an increase is possible without compromising environment are discussed. To conduct this research, a farmer interview coupled with an overview of the history of seaweed production in Denmark have been performed. It was evident that seaweed agroecosystems are a new addition to the food system in Denmark. It occupies a very low market share, but with increased interest from consumers due to its environmentally friendliness and the health properties of the seaweed. The main challenges faced by the seaweed farmers are political and economic in nature. This new farming system, as well as the new food source, are not widely known amongst regulators and consumers, thus, infrastructure to support its development is lacking. It was also observed that while both the society and the farmers were in learning phase, the farmers still were confident in their ability and the future of seaweed in Denmark. The thesis found that it is most likely that seaweed cultivation will increase in both production and interest. The main reasons for this are the environmentally friendly production, the health properties of seaweed and increased interest in their bioactive compounds. Thus, the future of seaweed farming will ultimately be determined by the priorities of consumers, producers and politicians.