Everyday we are manipulated by design. When grocery shopping, we choose the Norwegian flag to support our local farmers. However, some of the Norwegian tomatoes you eat, labeled with an image of the Norwegian flag, are in fact not actually Norwegian. Only the packaging is. We also often choose products with the keyhole symbol when looking for healthier food options. However, its inherent meaning is that the product is only slightly better than the worst in its category.

Since the year 2000, 34 000 farms in Norway have been shut down. That is roughly four closures every day for the past 25 years. Grocery chain giants control the value chain from farm to store shelf, pushing primary producers margins down to an average agricultural income of around 200 000 kr. Norwegian farmers are fighting a quiet battle against an oligopoly of three major grocery chains that control 94% of the food retail market. The distance between farm and dinner table has grown large and uniform. The result is a food system shaped by misleading marketing, anonymity and a dominance of imports.

My masters project builds on REKO-ringen, an alternative food network that has emerged as a response to this development. It uses digital platforms and local pick-up points to create a more open and direct way for people to buy food directly from producers. As part of the small minority of independent grocery markets, REKO-ringen is in desperate need of recognition and support.

Through dialogue and system-oriented design, I have identified a core problem: the Norwegian REKO model relies on unpaid administrators who act as gatekeepers of the system. Without shared guidelines or a supporting network, they are responsible for deciding which farmers get to sell and what qualifies as local. This creates a vulnerability that can lead to exclusion and, in the worst case, monopoly conditions in smaller communities. This paved way for my research question: How can I design support systems or shared guidelines for REKO administrators that ensure fairness, predictability and inclusion, without losing the voluntary spirit?

The conclusion points to the need for a stronger organisational framework within REKO-ringen. Administrators should have ways to share knowledge, coordinate and support each other. By developing a shared structure for exchanging best practices and coordinating efforts, administrators can be relieved of the idealistic burden. At the same time creating a more predictable marketplace for farmers, where the rules for participation are clear and more consistent for everyone.

By adding structure without removing the voluntary aspect, REKO can grow from a fragile grassroots system into a stronger and more reliable part of Norway’s local food network.