Abstract
Abstract The positive adoption of digital technology within the food sector can boost sustainable development in Finnish Lapland. There is a need for a food system in the region to respond to current trends from consumers and ensure a better supply of local foods that are processed efficiently with minimal waste. In this article, a review of the literature on the benefits of digitalisation as a tool amongst food processors was carried out. The opportunities offered by digital technology are expected to make local food business operators more transparent, efficient and sustainable. Digitalisation can help to minimise the environmental impacts of food processing and ultimately improve sustainability. In meeting the demand of local consumers, distributed and localised manufacturing will help to add value to local food crops, lower transportation and storage costs. The adoption of food digitalisation will open up market accessibility for the locally produced food products in local communities. In the future, digitalisation is likely to have major impacts in the local food system of the Lapland region.
Highlights
Northern people in the circumpolar Arctic region have relied for millennia upon the landscape for their food through hunting, reindeer herding, gathering, fishing and small-scale gardening (Gjertsen and Halseth 2015)
The climate change has a decisive and stronger consequence on the natural conditions in the Arctic region than elsewhere, which presents the region of almost four million people with an additional challenge and a need to adapt (ACIA 2004)
This approach is in line with the European Union’s Joint Research Council’s (JRC) Vision 2030 on food security, which calls for concrete actions to build and promote a more balanced mix between local and global food systems as they will become increasingly demanddriven in the future
Summary
Northern people in the circumpolar Arctic region have relied for millennia upon the landscape for their food through hunting, reindeer herding, gathering, fishing and small-scale gardening (Gjertsen and Halseth 2015). Agriculture, rural livelihoods, sustainable management of natural resources and food security are inextricably linked to climate change and other development challenges of the 21st century. The climate change has a decisive and stronger consequence on the natural conditions in the Arctic region than elsewhere, which presents the region of almost four million people with an additional challenge and a need to adapt (ACIA 2004). In considering the future of food and agriculture in Finnish Lapland, which may bring new opportunities for new crops to grow in the region, it will be necessary to seek a sustainable food system. The need for a sustainable local food system through smart specialisation is highlighted, while Section 3 discusses the future possibilities in Finnish Lapland concerning value addition to local foods and the relevance of distributed, localised manufacturing.
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