The journey towards cluster status for Nordic Edge Agritech
Experiences from smart cities have become a new force in agriculture. Now, Nordic Edge has been awarded national cluster status for its work in bridging the gap between technology, city and soil - a clear sign that Norway is now joining forces to boost the agritech industry.
Image: Cluster leader Gunnar Crawford
- For me, this is not a strategic project, but a realization. After many years in the technology world - from IT and telecommunications to smart cities and digitization - I started working with soil health at Desert Control.
There I saw how technology can make a difference, but also how fragmented the field was. Companies were working in parallel, farmers were standing alone and the potential for collaboration was huge. What if we could connect these forces?
This is what Gunnar Crawford, cluster manager for Nordic Edge Agritech Innovation Cluster (NEAIC), says.
- When the opportunity came to build such a collaboration, I felt it was the right place to use the experience from both technology and community building, he adds.
The goal is simple - to bring together people, knowledge and solutions that can strengthen Norwegian agriculture in practice.
City and country as an innovation arena
Experience from the work on smart cities has shown what happens when technology meets social development. Now the same is happening in agriculture.
- Cities stand for digitization, scaling and structure; the countryside stands for nature, practice and production. When they meet, innovation occurs. "In recent years, I've learned that we need to use technology where the value is actually created - in the soil, says Crawford.
The starting point was concrete: farmers and technologists needed a common language. Since the start of the agritech initiative in 2023, collaborations have been established with start-up companies and industrial locomotives such as Serigstad, TKS Agri and Kvernaland Group, and players such as Øksnevad Upper Secondary School, UiS and several municipalities in Rogaland. "Clusters now have national weight with networks and partners throughout the country.
- There's a great deal of commitment when we embark on specific projects. The Future Farmer and the Energy Farmer are two examples of activities that connect farmers, academia and industry, says Crawford.
Companies in the smart city and agri-technology sectors point to several of the same challenges: capital and export. Here, Nordic Edge has several years of experience through programs such as Nordic Fund Day and the How to Enter program. Together with our partners such as NIBIO, Teal, Validé and AgriFoodTech Norway, the new agritech cluster already has the basis for a comprehensive innovation arena where knowledge, finance and industry meet.
- We work primarily with business development and digitization for agricultural technology companies. That's what agritech is really about, says Crawford.
From network to national structure: This is what he will use the cluster status for
The cluster status marks the transition from project to structure. With 40 members - from start-up companies to industrial locomotives - we are now united around three national challenges:
- Climate and resource scarcity - precision and regenerative practices
- Food security and technology - production capacity, traceability and autonomy
- Capital and skills - growth through investors and education
Image: Agriculture is like chess - lots of moving pieces, but without the farmer and the horse, no one wins. Gunnar Crawford on the chessboard in Bjergsted.
The road ahead
Cluster status is not a goal, but a tool. It enables us to connect several farmers, technologists, investors and educational actors in one ecosystem, delivering solutions the world needs.
Crawford is looking forward to the next phase. Cluster status means a national mandate and the financial power to succeed. He is clear about his priorities for the next four years:
- Build a national test and learning platform for technology in agriculture
- Strengthen exports and access to capital through the new How to Enter and Global Growth programs
- Further develop the Future Farmer as an arena for learning and recruitment
- Further develop AgriNord in Northern Norway - a new focus area for Arctic agritech
- In order to succeed, we need cooperation between farmers, businesses, research and administration. Without it, we will continue in the fragmented track, says Crawford.
- But now we're moving towards something bigger. When city and country, technology and nature work together, we don't just build smarter farms - we build a more robust Norway.
