PROLAND: Protecting Agricultural Soils From Plastic Pollution

PROLAND focuses on value creation in agricultural and industrial practices by addressing and investigating the sources of plastic pollution in agricultural soils in Norway.

Norwegian agriculture, water and waste management sectors embrace this mission and join PROLAND to co-create the knowledge required to adapt or anticipate the expected changes in regulation. Design thinking, process innovation, and value creation are seen as pillars towards soil protection and sustainability. In line with the UN SDGs, PROLAND addresses sustainability of food production through an environmental and social lens, involving farmers and relevant national industries.

Bioregion Institute will lead the Work Package 4 and work closely with NIVA on stakeholder inclusion, framework and knowledge production. Master students with design, innovation or bio-economy will, during residency periods at Biodesign Lab, participate and learn from the project.

Bioregion Institute will develop and use a Deep Dive Design Thinking methodology for integrating scientific and stakeholder knowledge towards a holistic understanding of plastic pollution challenges and possible solutions. It will set a road map to unfold the complexity of challenges throughout the value chain of the involved agricultural and industrial stakeholders, assimilating scientific knowledge and policy demands. This method stems from the basic assumption that inventorying, analyzing, and synthesizing perceived challenges, decision-making processes and suggested solutions.

 

Categories
Preventing plastic pollution
in agriculture

Delivery
Innovative production
Design Thinking
Spinoff

Timeline
active: 2022 – 2025

Funded by
Norwegian Research Council

Partners
NIVA
Norskvann
NIBIO
Hold Norge Rent
Norwaste
Norges Bondelag
RECETOX University

Research team
Birgitta Ralston
Linda Figueiredo