Home > Our Projects > 3MC – Nordic Mountain Cattle
Contact: mervi.honkatukia@nordgen.org
Project active: 1 November 2019 – 30 September 2022
“3MC – Nordic Mountain Cattle” is a cross-disciplinary project that makes sure that history and stories surrounding Mountain Cattle are examined, acquired, preserved, communicated and made public. The knowledge that is acquired will help us understand the cultural history of the cattle breeds, and in that way make sense of the world today. Through understanding the history of the breed as well as the profound human-animal connection, we can raise awareness and establish collaborations to find new ways to utilize the unique traits of the Nordic Mountain Cattle – and thereby save them for the future.
For centuries, people have kept cattle in order to survive in the harsh conditions of the north. Before the modernization of agriculture in the 20th century, the most common cattle in the northern parts of the Nordic countries were mountain cattle, which today are in focus at the newly opened exhibition at The Museum of Torne Valley.
Combining several academic disciplines in this project will give the project a more nuanced picture of the history, culture and lineage of the mountain cattle.
The fields of study include:
The most important achievement during the first year of the project are the contacts that have been made with the livestock owners who do practical conservation work, as well as with other friends of the northern cattle breeds, who are actively promoting the tradition.
Our network makes it easier for actors to meet, share information and work towards common goals. We welcome everyone to join our group on Facebook where we post in English and Nordic languages and discuss all matters related to Nordic Mountain Cattle.
The information gathered in the project is distributed through a game application. It will illustrate the consequences of mating selections for the coming generations made by the player: to be successful in the game, the genetic diversity of the animals has to be maintained.
The project is funded with a grant from Interreg Nord and Länsstyrelsen Norrbotten 2019-2022 and has 5 Nordic partners. NordGen is the coordinator for the project as well as responsible for investigating pedigree and population kinship, dissemination of results and implementation of applications. NordGen will also be responsible for establishing the network of preservers.
2021.07.30
2017.09.01
2016.01.01