Posted on 09/21/2008 10:20:14 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
Climate change has brought new opportunities to Greenland that could secure its independence from Denmark
Lasse Bjerge lives in a remote, sub-Arctic valley that is flanked by barren mountains, 20 miles by boat from the nearest town and perishing cold even on a bright September day. There, for the past two years, he has cultivated one of the world’s most improbable market gardens.
As a bitter wind whistles past his red wooden cottage, Greenland’s first commercial vegetable farmer proudly lifts the synthetic sheeting protecting his crops to reveal rows of cabbages, cauliflowers and – appropriately – iceberg lettuces. This summer he even produced a few strawberries.
It is not easy, admits Mr Bjerge, 50, who began this experiment to supplement his sheep farmer’s paltry income. He was late buying his seedlings last spring because the fjord was choked with ice. There were frosts and freezing nights as late as June. His broccoli, in particular, has struggled to survive the harsh climate.
Now, thanks to Mr Bjerge and two other pioneering farmers, Greenlanders can buy fresh green produce for the first time – not the tired, limp stuff flown in at exorbitant cost from Denmark. Mr Bjerge breaks up a compact cauliflower head. “Taste it,” he says. It is crisp, sweet and full of flavour, because it has taken weeks to ripen in the long, cool days of a far northern summer.
Until recently commercial vegetable production would have been almost impossible in this land of ice and rock – but global warming is greening Greenland.
“We live on the margins of where things grow, and an extra one or two degrees can make all the difference,” says Kenneth Hoegh, Greenland’s chief agricultural adviser. Within ten years Greenland could be self-sufficient in vegetables, according to Jonstein Gard, of the Upernaviarsuk
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
women and children hit hardest
Greenland of course was once....drum roll....green. Of course back then when it was green it wasn’t because of my SUV or some other absurd cause. Instead it was cyclical. Imagine that.
...and minorities! It’s all Bush’s fault!
Maybe Greenland will have forests again, as it did when first discovered.
It happened at least once before. I could happen again.
Those people bemoaning the loss of ice in Greenland need to research why it was called Greenland in the first place. And what happened to those who thought climate couldn’t change.
It could have been from woolly mammoth gas
““We live on the margins of where things grow, and an extra one or two degrees can make all the difference,” says Kenneth Hoegh, Greenland’s chief agricultural adviser. Within ten years Greenland could be self-sufficient in vegetables, according to Jonstein Gard, of the Upernaviarsuk”
Sounds like a disaster to me.
Pretty tough to make money on veggies; but the cool nights with 24 hr sun sure makes everything taste sweet. I just miss the corn on the cob.
Jerry describing Elaine: Well, she’s fascinated with Greenland. She enjoys teasing animals, banlon, and seeing people running for their lives. She loves throwing garbage out the window, yet she’s extremely dainty.
Don’t know about Eagle, but Anchorage had a rotten summer.
rows of cabbages, cauliflowers and – appropriately – iceberg lettuces.Ice berg lettuce got its name from the lettuce shipped from Salinas California (lettuce capitol of the world) to points east was packed in boxcars with ice to keep it fresh. When the lettuce arrived at the destination there was still ice in the boxcars...hence the name "ice berg lettuce"
Soon they will be welcoming immigrants to pick their crops.
I would be way more impressed if they now grew wheat as they did 700 years ago.
Southern Greenland is at about the same latitude as the Matanuska Valley in AK where some of the largest veggies in the world have been grown for years due to the long Summer days.
What climate change??? The temperature of the earth leveled off and decreased since 1998.
“Of course back then when it was green it wasn’t because of my SUV or some other absurd cause.”
Viking farts!!!!
Do you live in Greenland?
That’s great! I hope that it gets warm enough for beach resorts to do well there, year-’round.
Will they be surprised as the earth begins to cool again.
OMG!!! GLOBAL COOLING! THE WORLD IS ENDING! VOTE FOR OBAMA! HE'LL SAVE US!
/snicker :-)
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