
BO ELBERLING, 2017
Agriculture and livestock farming in Greenland root back to the Norse. More than 1,000 years ago, Erik the Red and his successors came from Iceland and brought along a Nordic peasant culture. The livestock provided the Norse with wool for their clothes and milk for the production of butter and cheese. A combination of livestock farming and hunting became the basis of Norse lifestyle for 500 years. In South Greenland and in the inner fjord areas in the Nuuk area, often right up to the edge of the ice sheet, the Norse found a mild climate and good grazing areas. You can still find many signs of early livestock farming in the form of stables, irrigation canals and animal folds. The Norse disappeared completely during the 15th century.
Farming after the Norse
Present farming have had a slow start since the Norse disappeared. Hans Egede was the first to introduce livestock, including sheep, near Nuuk. In 1783, the Norwegian Anders Olsen and his Greenlandic wife Tuperna founded an agricultural culture in Igaliku based on cattle farming and hunting. This initiative turned into a lifestyle where people with an Inuit background became livestock farmers.
Livestock farming

JETTE BANG PHOTO/ARKTISK INSTITUT, 1939
In the early 1900s, agriculture experienced a renaissance due to declining hunting options. In 1906, the Greenlandic priest Jens Chemnitz introduced sheep from the Faroe Islands to the former Moravian mission station Narsarmijit (Frederiksdal). The experiment got off to a promising start. The Greenland colonial administration saw the potential in the experiment, and in 1915, sheep husbandry manager Lindemand Walsøe introduced 180 sheep from Iceland to Qaqortoq (Julianehåb). In the same year, the Greenland colonial administration set up a sheep farming station in Qaqortoq. This kick-started a development.
The purpose of the sheep farming station (today: Upernaviarsuk Research Station) has since been to educate and support sheep farmers with new knowledge, financing the startup of new farms and offering ongoing consultancy. In the same area as Erik the Red in the 980s, Greenlandic sheep farmer pioneer Otto Frederiksen founded the first sheep farm in Qassiarssuk (formerly Brattahlíð) in 1924 on the shores of Tunulliarfik Fjord just 12 km from the ice sheet.
In summer, the grasslands closest to the towns and settlements (the so-called home fields) were kept free from grazing, while sheep, goats and cows were led to the natural vegetation in the mountains. In late summer, the farmers would then be able to harvest the home fields for winter fodder.
Keeping livestock in Southwest Greenland was and still is limited by the length of the winter and how much winter feed can be obtained during the summer season. Both during the Middle Ages and up to recent times, only livestock manure was used as fertilizer. Today, chemical fertilizers are also used for the home fields and concentrates are used for supplementary winter feed.
Farming today

ANINGAAQ R. CARLSEN/VISIT GREENLAND, 2019
The climate has been crucial for the development of agriculture since the time of the Norse. In the period from 1927 to 1960, the number of sheep in South Greenland increased from about 5,000 to about 50,000 ewes. A remarkable increase – not least because the climate in the same period was characterised by both warming and cooling. Accordingly, there were some very harsh winters in this period, during which the stock was greatly reduced.
It is a legal requirement that all animals be housed and fed in winter, and since the 1980s, the number of ewes has remained stable at around 20,000. Today, there are about 50,000 animals on summer pastures.
Of the more than about 1,000 ha of cultivated land (2014), 99 % is used for the production of perennial grass and annual green fodder crops for winter feed. The remaining 1 % of the cultivated area is mainly used for potatoes. More than 242,000 ha are used as natural mountain pasture during the summer.
Organisation of and consulting services for farmers
Originally, the Greenlandic sheep farmers were organised into smaller associations, but in 1951, Savaatillit Peqatigiiffiit Suleqatigiissut (SPS, The Cooperative Sheep Farmers’ Associations) headquartered in Qaqortoq was formed and has since represented the farmers’ interests. SPS handles important tasks related to the annual price negotiations regarding meat prices, feed purchases, communication with public authorities and the annual general meeting, which brings together virtually everyone in the industry. Although sheep husbandry accounts for most of its activities, SPS handles all areas within agriculture.
Today, the Greenlandic Agricultural Council is an advisory body to the Naalakkersuisut (Government of Greenland). They issue opinions on new measures for regulating agriculture and advises the agricultural industry on financial support and development schemes.
The Agricultural Consulting Services in Qaqortoq is the public consulting service for agriculture and undertakes research work in Upernaviarsuk. The research station and the agricultural school in Upernaviarsuk are organised under Food College Greenland, Inuili, in Narsaq.
The future of agriculture

MADS PIHL/VISIT GREENLAND, 2015
Climate change may mean that new fields and perhaps completely new regions in Greenland may become interesting for farming purposes. There are natural uncertainties associated with assessing the possibilities for a future agriculture sector. This is particularly true when it comes to precipitation. For several years, lack of precipitation during summer has led to desiccation and poor grass harvest. In addition, in many areas the soil is coarse-grained and thus poor at holding on to water, and for the same reason many farms use irrigation during the summer. Furthermore, in most places, the soil is poor in nutrients, so liming, fertilization with both livestock manure and chemical fertiliser as well as irrigation are prerequisites for increased agricultural production. In addition, new weed species and pests also pose a challenge.
Sheep farming is not the only type of livestock farming. Up until now, cattle and caribou have been introduced as a niche production of meat and perhaps commercial milk production in the long run. This is supplemented by cultivation of potatoes and turnips, especially in South Greenland. Future prospects for developing the agricultural industry in South Greenland are good, with new products and ideas being developed and formulated.
Right of use of the agricultural land
Land in Greenland is common property. There is no such thing as private property on land, but the individual farms have an individual right to use associated agricultural land. This means that the individual farms and the Government of Greenland’s sector management are very closely linked. During the past 20 years, the cultivated area has increased by almost 30 %, while the number of farms has decreased by 20 %. This trend is seen in many places: The profitable farms grow in size and are supported by various ancillary incomes, e.g. tourism, construction, fishing and hunting, which they combine with farming.
Challenges of cultivating new land
Lack of good agricultural land has always been and remains a significant challenge. The cost of clearing scrubs and removing rocks to establish fields is significant. In addition, farms often need both drainage and irrigation in combination with fertilisation and liming. Today, the agricultural industry receives significant support in the form of support for the establishment of new fields, purchase of new stables and irrigation systems as well as a subsidy per livestock just as is the case with much agricultural production in other parts of the world. However, meat, wool and plant products are supplied to the Greenland society, thereby strengthening the level of self-sufficiency. The future will have to show whether sheep husbandry will move north as a result of a warmer climate.
Further reading
- Biodiversity and nature management
- Horticulture
- Industry and labour market
- Kujataa – farming on the brink of the ice sheet
- Locations with agriculture and sheep farming
- The climate in Greenland
- The ice-free landscapes
- The ice sheet
- The Norse
- Towns and settlements
- Tree planting in Greenland
Read more about Nature and landscape in Greenland