Åbergs trädgård - en småskalig plantskola med hantverket i fokus

Abstract

This bachelor thesis is a case study of Åbergs trädgård, a small-scale plant nursery which produces, propagates and sells annual and perennial plants. The company has, since 1872, passed down through the Åberg family for five generations and possesses inherited and experience-based knowledge, which I aim to document. The thesis is based on interviews and literary studies and investigates the methods behind running a small-scale plant nursery and how Åbergs solves challenges, like competition from large producers and low profitability. I also relate their methods to sustainability and the conservation of an intangible cultural heritage. Åbergs use traditional, craft-related methods and aim to work sustainably without pesticides or chemical growth regulators. The plants are locally produced and they strive to provide a large variety of resistant, hardy, high quality plants. The way Åbergs choose to run their business provides several services to society, such as a sustainable use of natural resources, preserving biodiversity, ecosystem services and conserving a cultural heritage. These methods also give them competitive advantages in the plant nursery business. This thesis documents traditional knowledge from a small-scale plant nursery and describes how their methods can be important today, from a conservation perspective and a sustainable perspective. It concludes that local, traditional, small-scale businesses, like Åbergs, can be important for the ongoing work towards a more sustainable society.