From Productivism to Flexible Specialization? Experiences from a Restructuring Process in the Norwegian Dairy Industry

In this paper we will ask how "local action" coordinated with "central action" from within the cooperative organization of "TINE Norwegian Dairies" may soften the structural changes that are taking place in the Norwegian dairy sector. We will look at what strategies the local and central actors are choosing. Here we want to show some of the socio-economic effects of global trends down to the local level. We would like to show the links between the global and the local trends, and at the same time show what types of opportunities and coping strategies are available to those who make their living from milk production. Is it possible in this situation for a formerly volume-oriented dairy cooperative to focus instead on value and value added?