Bergs äppelgård - den kommersiella ekologiska fruktodlingens pionjärer i Sverige

Abstract

This bachelor thesis is a study of Bergs äppelgård, an experimental organic pomiculture situated in Hallstahammar, Västmanland. The first fruit trees were planted in 1993 by Berit and Göran Erlandsson, former owners of Norrby plant nursery. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the couple Erlandssons were early to visit some of the test stations for plants in the Baltic States from which they brought back new varieties of fruit and hardy rootstocks. Their methods in the nineties were pioneering and paved the way for new ecological fruit growers, generously sharing their new knowledge and discoveries. With over 200 varieties of apples and many different plums, pears, cherries, honeyberries and grapes they founded the first commercial organic pomiculture in Sweden in modern times. My purpose have been to study Bergs äppelgård from an historical perspective and its relevance for the evolution of organic fruit production in Sweden. By first writing about Bergs äppelgård and its history, then about fruit production in general from the 19th century with the introduction of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers leading up to the fruit production today, I try to put Bergs äppelgård in a historical context. Some research concerning the negative impact on different insect populations due to the use of synthetic pesticides has also briefly been covered, with discoveries showing a weakened immune system, malformations in reproduction organs and impaired learning ability amongst different bee species. With interviews and earlier research I’ve been able to compose an overview of different themes concerning history, growing methods, pest control, fruit varieties and marketing. The interviews have been conducted with persons who has managed Bergs äppelgård, starting with Palle, the son of Berit and Göran Erlandsson, and Pawel Michno, who worked there for over 14 years. The two other persons who I interviewed are Elisabeth Ögren and Kirsten Jensen. They are horticulturalists who both had a connection with Bergs äppelgård in the nineties.