KVANN – Norwegian Seed Savers

Website: KVANN

Founded a decade ago to bring together gardening and wild plant-collecting groups active since 2005, KVANN protects and promotes cultivated plant diversity across Norway. The organization facilitates knowledge-sharing networks focused on climate-friendly local food production, prioritizing perennial vegetables, forest garden plants, potatoes, herbs, and grains. KVANN integrates conservation with practical research such as participatory cereal breeding to adapt grains to regional climates or the collaborative Root2Fork project to promote agroecological agroforestry systems.

Mission Statements

Personal Mission: Being a catalyst for saving and developing domestic plant diversity, for the sake of food security and the enrichment of human culture.

Project-Specific Mission: Networking, collecting data, establishing multistrata systems, supporting existing agroforestry projects and organizing knowledge sharing is essential in order to have a transition towards agroforestry farming in Norway.

Project Role

Lead partner for participatory assessments of ecosystem services and of the social dimension in msAFS

• Coordinator of developing a toolkit for participatory assessment of ecosystem services in multi-strata systems
• Coordination of the evaluation of governance, AE transition resilience and social equity in the participating Living Labs

Related projects and initiatives

• Agroecology Partnership

The AGROECOLOGY Partnership, funded by Horizon Europe, unites the European Commission and 111 partners across 31 Member States, Associated Countries, and Third Countries. The Partnership will support an agriculture sector that is fit to meet the targets and challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, food security and sovereignty, and the environment, while ensuring a profitable and attractive activity for farmers.

• European Network of Agroecology Living Labs and Research Infrastructures

The Network brings together AE RIs and LLs across Europe that demonstrate the ingenuity, sustainability, social and ecological viability of AE systems and promote AE as a viable solution to current agri-food challenges. The Network empowers LLs and RIs that experiment with AE at different geographical scales, connecting practice, policy and research through multi-actor, system, inter- and transdisciplinary approaches, which explicitly acknowledge the challenges of spatial and temporal scales in AE systems. The Network promotes exchanges and learning spaces among members, generates knowledge and evidence for implementing AE and facilitates the sharing of data for AE community and beyond. As a result, the Network supports inclusive and cutting-edge innovations that accelerate the transition to AE at local, regional and national levels in every European country.

• Nordic Seed Alliance

The Nordic Seed Alliance works to strengthen seed sovereignty, agrobiodiversity, and farmer-led innovation in the Nordic region. We see seeds as cultural heritage, common heritage, and the foundation of life, and we build bridges between farmers, citizens, researchers, and civil society. SOIL: Our Invisible Ally is an Interreg Alpine Space project led by the Slovenian Forestry Institute. It´s a three-year project launched in 2024. It promotes sustainable soil management measures across the alpine region by translating expert knowledge and practitioner experience into accessible materials, showcasing case studies, and running workshops for diverse audiences, especially multipliers. The project engages the public, including newcomers to soil topics, and uses art and cultural events to spark curiosity, foster sensory connections, and inspire stewardship.