Nine municipalities are working together so that more people can fulfill their dream of a small farm. Since the Vest-Telemark Council started the project in 2020, up to 50 small farms have gained new owners. This year alone, nine small farms have been bought in the area. Many vacant small farms Development manager Torunn Raftevold Rue says there are around 500 vacant small farms in the region. Falling population numbers meant that the municipalities had to rethink. Torunn Raftevold Rue wants more people to move to vacant small farms in Telemark. Photo: Private – We see that there are a lot of vacant uses where no people live. The population is falling and we lack a good deal of competence in the public sector. Vest-Telemarkrådet contacts owners and asks if they want to rent out or sell the small farm. There are many that people have not bid on for several years, because the property is a deceased’s estate or part of a joint ownership. Although there are many vacant small farms, Rue notices that more people want an idyllic life in the countryside. FOR SALE: One of many small farms that are for sale in Telemark. Photo: Inviso – We can see a tendency for people to see that they can work from rural areas. They must not necessarily cluster together in the Oslo area. Boltreplass for the family Bård Haugen and Elin Jønnardalen have just bought a small farm in Rauland. In the summer, they move from a housing estate to a small farm of 55 acres with a house, barn and outbuilding. – We have been looking for more space to romp around than you get in a housing estate. Now we can do what we want and be more self-sufficient, says Haugen. STAS: Bård Haugen and his family have moved to a small farm. Photo: Tor Mølster Byggland Elin is an accountant and Bård is a carpenter. With an annex on the property, Elin gets a home office. The barn gives Bård the opportunity to produce and store timber. Home cultivation and animals are also on the agenda. – We are a bit at a loss as to what kind of animal, but I fancy goats. They keep the vegetation down and the landscape looks nice. I could also imagine hens that produce lots of eggs, he adds. Now they are looking forward to moving in. – It will be nice. I screw and carve, says son Amund Haugen (5) and gives a tour of the workshop on the property. FUTURE CARPENTER?: Amund Haugen nails a plank. Photo: Tor Mølster Byggland Inspiring other municipalities The project has been noticed in other valleys in District Norway. This week the municipalities in Hallingdal visited to learn from the West Telemark Council. Mayor of Ål i Buskerud, Solveig Vestenfor, says that they have challenges in housing people. Mayors in Ål say they will consider taking similar measures. Photo: Ål municipality – If there are any small farms here that are not in use, it would be worth investigating, she says. She praises the Vest-Telemark Council for how they have worked to settle people on small farms. – It’s a very smart idea. We find it inspiring and will discuss this further. Don’t want non-dedicated city dwellers Property developer Johan Angre is preoccupied with progress in the villages. He himself has been eager to establish a business in his home village of Seljord in Telemark. He is looking for immigrants who can contribute to the community. Johan Angre wants more immigrants who want to establish businesses and contribute to the community in the villages. Photo: Private – We need creative people who can contribute and get involved in the local community. It can be anything from younger to older people, and not least from different cultures. A village is poor without commitment. He wants to see initiative from those who buy a small farm. – We want new residents, but we don’t need non-dedicated townspeople. They must have a little more guts. It has easily become the case that those who are resourceful only use it as a holiday spot. Some are also just adventurers. Many apply for small farms Small farms are high on the list of searches on Finn.no year after year, says communications advisor at Finn.no, Linda Glomlien. Photo: Caroline Roka Every four years, the word “small business” is searched for between 550,000 and 600,000 times. – There are not big differences from year to year. This is a typical “binocular object” as there are many who dream of a small farm, but for the vast majority it is just the idea, says Glomlien. At Finn, the keyword small farming has fallen a few places in recent years, from 6th place in 2019 to 12th place last year. Around NOK 2 million is the price for most small farms, Glomlien points out. – There are properties for less than a million, but then you buy quite dilapidated properties, she says.
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Municipality collaborates to get more people to buy small farms in Rauland and Vest-Telemark – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
