Green and steep hills, a forest with deer, a fjord with fish, white and red houses. Garden Sellanrå on Halsnøy in Kvinnherad is typical in Western Norway. But those who live there are not typical. For one year, a group of friends in their 20s have bid here and run the farm together in a farm collective. – Being a farmer is perhaps the most lonely profession one can have. Doing it in teams with others is incredibly rewarding, says Mikal Larsen (26). Exploiting nature He and his girlfriend Marlin Kjelsvik (27) try to save the cabbage plants on a hot June day. They cover the field with wool from local sheep. – It makes me so that there will not be so much weeds, and then keep it well on the lake. It also prevents the cabbage fly from laying its eggs at the roots. So it is a form of pesticide as well, she says. – Wool is fantastic, and it is a resource that is too often burned in Norway. This wool has been given to me for free by neighbors and others on the island. WOOL IN THE FIELD: Mikal Larsen and Marlin Kjelsvik cover the field with wool to protect him from the sun and heat. Photo: Eli Bjelland / news They calculate to have around 150 different plant varieties on the farm. There are also many wild plants to harvest. – From the summer of last year, we were self-sufficient in vegetables until around February. Then I start to run out, says Mikal. – We ate the last potatoes this Easter. But then we had a pretty small piece of potato. This year we have at least doubled it, Marlin adds. The goal is to become even more self-sufficient in food. Today, they buy, among other things, grain and dairy products. – Self-sufficiency is about how we as human beings should be able to live sustainably in teams, and in teams with nature. Simply take more responsibility on your own shoulders. LJÅ: Mikal Larsen sharpens the scythe. In hard-to-reach places, he needs a scythe to mow the grass. Photo: Eli Bjelland / news – More social than in the city Cathrine Ellefsen (27) tans a skin a little further up on the farm on Halsnøy. The deer is shot in the woods nearby, and the skin will be covered with clay. – I want to make a skirt with big pockets, and a hoodie. Making clothes is the next step in this self-saving life for me. I think it’s a lot of fun, she says. LEATHER HERITAGE: Cathrine Ellefsen makes clay from deer skin. She hopes she can get dressed. Photo: Eli Bjelland / news Venegjengen is currently visited by a couple from Austria and their dog, Lancelot. Guests from all over the world come to visit to explore the alternative way of life. At most, there have been up to 14 people on the farm, and they are noticing an increasing interest. – People are aware of the climate crisis and the loss of nature. I think they may want to get closer to what they want to protect, says Marlin. – I feel more social here than I did when I lived in a city, says Mikal. RAST: – We have learned a lot about ourselves during this year. Living, working and living in teams, says Marlin Kjelsvik. Here she is sitting with her boyfriend Mikal and the dog Lancelot, who is visiting. Photo: Eli Bjelland / news Rapidly growing phenomenon in Europe Internationally, such farm collectives are a rapidly growing phenomenon, according to researcher and rural sociologist Bjørn Egil Flø at Nibio, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy. – We call them «new farmers». They are looking for alternatives to industrial agriculture, and have a great deal to do with the environment. In countries such as Austria, Switzerland and Germany, now one in three farms is taken over by so-called “new farmers”, according to Flø. MUST COME: Researcher and rural sociologist Bjørn Egil Flø is convinced that farm collectives will become more common in Norway. Photo: Private The researcher only knows of a few cases in Norway, but is convinced the phenomenon is on its way to this country as well. – I do not think only it can, but that it must spread. With the rapid closure rate that is in agriculture that is today, I think it is this type of agriculture that only has to come if there is to be agriculture in some of the western villages, says Flø. Collective farming requires good cooperation The young farmers are trained eco-agronomists from Sogn Jord- og Hagebruksskule. The principal there, Børre Solberg, says the collective use on Halsnøy is unusual. – It is exciting that they dare to try. It is social, of course, but one must make good agreements to maintain the good cooperation and atmosphere, he says. Mikal Larsen owns Sellanrå farm, but the collective has regular meetings and makes all decisions in teams. – We have not quarreled yet, and are good at talking to each other in a good way, says Marlin Kjelsvik. SELLANRÅ: Garden is idyllically located in Arnavik on Halsnøy. Photo: Eli Bjelland / news They are now two couples who live together on the farm. The goal is to be able to make a living from the garden, but for example, several of them also work as gardeners, among others. – The life situation will probably change as we get older. But I myself want to be able to live and live collectively also in the future, says Mikal. But they never become completely self-sufficient. Some goods are simply both completely useful and completely impossible to grow in Norway. – We can not do without coffee, not yet – Not chocolate and ice cream either. But we will be able to make ice cream once. Then we have achieved everything really. COFFEE: They made the mug themselves, but Mikal Larsen and Marlin Kjelsvik always have to buy coffee. Photo: Eli Bjelland / news
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