Vestavin AS is a recently established fruit wine producer in Jølster, Sunnfjord, aiming to base itself fully on agroecological approaches and principles. EcoVin is a pilot project, which will map the opportunities and barriers to achieving this goal. Within agroecological approaches, "the use of natural processes is favored, purchased inputs are limited, closed loops are promoted and the importance of local knowledge and participatory processes that develop practices through experience is emphasized, in addition to more conventional scientific methods" (FAO, 2019).

NORSØK will work together with Vestavin AS and NIBIO in this pilot project, which is supported by RFF Vestland. The aim is to investigate how renewable and local residual resources from within the production system and the local environment can be recycled and used as fertilizer and soil improvement when establishing fields with berries and rhubarb.

In addition, the project will identify knowledge gaps that can be clarified in a subsequent main project. There, the objective will be to develop the "Vinyard on Jølst" as a circular model farm for ecological, economic and social sustainability throughout the entire value chain for West-Norwegian fruit wine production.