<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> Greenhouses are a frequent feature on the Icelandic rural landscape and an integral part of Iceland’s food system. Iceland’s reserves of geothermal energy present an opportunity to extend an otherwise short growing season. This promotes sustainability, increases food security, and benefits consumers. This article examines the relative strengths of Iceland’s greenhouse sector - using a combination of statistics, observations, and interviews to understand the resource demands of greenhouse agriculture, how well greenhouses can allay some food insecurity and provide local foods. It ends with an examination of how the reduction of subsidies used to keep greenhouse agriculture going, has had an effect and forces the question of whether losing much of Iceland’s agricultural sector and locally sourced food is worth the social and political costs.</p></abstract>

Greenhouses are a frequent feature on the Icelandic rural landscape and an integral part of Iceland’s food system. Iceland’s reserves of geothermal energy present an opportunity to extend an otherwise short growing season. This promotes sustainability, increases food security, and benefits consumers. This article examines the relative strengths of Iceland’s greenhouse sector - using a combination of statistics, observations, and interviews to understand the resource demands of greenhouse agriculture, how well greenhouses can allay some food insecurity and provide local foods. It ends with an examination of how the reduction of subsidies used to keep greenhouse agriculture going, has had an effect and forces the question of whether losing much of Iceland’s agricultural sector and locally sourced food is worth the social and political costs.

Greenhouse Agriculture in the Icelandic Food System

European Countryside

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

{"article-title":"Greenhouse Agriculture in the Icelandic Food System"}

Greenhouses are a frequent feature on the Icelandic rural landscape and an integral part of Iceland’s food system. Iceland’s reserves of geothermal energy...

Greenhouse Agriculture in the Icelandic Food System

Published Online: Jan 11, 2019

Page range: 711 - 724

Received: May 18, 2017

Accepted: Jun 28, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2018-0039

Keywords
agricultural geography, sustainable agriculture, food security, Iceland, food sovereignty

© 2019 Gina M. Butrico, David H. Kaplan, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Greenhouse Agriculture in the Icelandic Food System

Published Online: Jan 11, 2019

Page range: 711 - 724

Received: May 18, 2017

Accepted: Jun 28, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2018-0039

Keywordsagricultural geography, sustainable agriculture, food security, Iceland, food sovereignty

© 2019 Gina M. Butrico, David H. Kaplan, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
agricultural geography, sustainable agriculture, food security, Iceland, food sovereignty