Nordic heirloom vegetables could prove vital in times of crisis: "It is a vulnerable system"

Sweden is far from self-sufficient in vegetable production and has almost no domestic vegetable seed production.

The sector is largely dependent on imported inputs such as seeds, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and fuel.

This makes for a vulnerable food system, argues Linda Groot Nibbelink, PhD student at the Department of Biosystems and Technology at SLU. 

– It's important to think about what happens if a crisis occurs. How can we ensure that we are able to produce enough vegetables even if borders are closed?

Investigating the potential of NordGen's heirloom varieties

In her research project, Linda Groot Nibbelink is exploring whether traditionally cultivated Nordic heirloom varieties, cultivated prior to industrialized farming, can form part of the answer to that question.

These varieties are less dependent on external inputs than modern varieties, called F1 hybrids. Some may also better withstand future climate change.

– Nordic heirloom varieties have been developed here in the north, often under low-input conditions, and are adapted to the local climate and soil. This means they are well-suited to be grown under organic conditions. Besides that, they are open-pollinated, which means that you can save your own seeds and replant them, whereas with F1 hybrids you must buy new seeds year after year. 

This is not only because F1-hybrids are protected by intellectual property rights, which makes it illegal for a farmer to multiply these seeds without permission.

– It is also physically impossible. The next generation is completely different, highly variable and loses the desirable hybrid vigor of their F1 parents, resulting in weaker and less productive plants. Or, depending on how the F1 was produced, the next generation will not germinate at all. 

At her disposal for researching heirloom vegetables is NordGen's gene bank in Alnarp. 

– They have a fantastic collection of heirloom varieties. So, it's a matter of looking at what's there and which of these varieties are suitable for commercial cultivation.

Grew up with organic farming

Linda Groot Nibbelink's interest in plants and sustainability was formed during her childhood in a small village in the Netherlands. Her first teenage job was as a fruit and berry picker for a local biodynamic producer. 

– There was a great diversity in the fruits they grew. They had chickens running around and their own pigs. That was my introduction to farming, I thought that was the way it was everywhere, she says.

At university she completed a bachelor's degree in international land and water management, followed by a master's in organic agriculture and agroecology. She learned about the challenges of modern farming and its complex relationship to the climate and the environment.

– The sixth mass extinction we are currently experiencing is strongly linked to modern agriculture, says Linda Groot Nibbelink.

Through climate protests she ended up in Sweden – where she met her husband. 

– Love and the climate brought me here.

Garden orache and swede in field trials

The research project combines field trials, laboratory experiments and interviews with vegetable growers across Sweden.

The first heirloom vegetable Linda Groot Nibbelink grew in a trial was garden orache. It is a leafy green that can be thought of as a hardier predecessor to spinach.

– Garden orache is well adapted to dry conditions and can thrive in saline soils, which gives it the potential to cope with future climate change. Spinach tends to go into flowering early in the Nordic region due to the long days, whereas garden orache can be harvested over a much longer period.

Next up for field trial is swede. 

– It can be harvested in late autumn and stored for up to six months, so it can keep us fed throughout the winter. It's also rich in vitamin C and folate, two essential nutrients.

Diversity as both asset and challenge

During the trials, she enjoyed seeing the diversity of varieties in the field. At the same time, this is precisely the challenge with heirloom vegetables. 

– One of the reasons we stopped using heirloom varieties is that they don't quite fit the modern farming system.

The variation makes it harder to use modern machinery. Harvest times may differ and disease susceptibility can be higher compared to modern varieties. At the same time, the diversity of heirloom varieties can create a resilience against disruptions that might otherwise wipe out an entire field of identical crops.

– There's nothing wrong with F1 hybrids as such. They are very stable and predictable, often yield more and have many other positive traits. That's great for the farmer. However, it does make the farming system more dependent on external inputs, such as seeds. Combined with the loss of genetic diversity this creates a more vulnerable system overall.

Linda Groot Nibbelink hopes the project will shed light on which heirloom accessions from the Nordic region might be suited to commercial use. Others may be better suited to hobby growers.

– Hopefully the project can contribute to greater diversity in the fields.