How biosynthetic animal protein will change society, as its technology and production become more feasible, is not well understood. Public acceptance of synthetic animal protein has been the focus of several empirical studies in recent years, though none reflects a systemic perspective on alternative protein’s relationship with the agriculture and aquaculture industries. In addition, these studies do not include social and cultural elements in their analyses, nor distributional effects across populations and geographies. Given the increasing urgency of addressing sustainability concerns in the production of meat and fish products and the increasing likelihood that alternative protein technology will enable higher production capacity, it is imperative to synthesize and systemically analyse alternative protein as part of a larger social system. This WP will examine: (1) the barriers, thresholds and likelihood for pathways to a synthetic animal protein bioeconomy in Norway and (2) the effects for agriculture and aquaculture systems and even the larger social system in a country that has parts of its national identity strongly connected to traditional animal farming and fishery. We will do this through social simulation modelling (hybrid system dynamics/agent-based) that will use the outputs of WP 2-5, making WP6 the synergy point for Protein 2.0. The resulting model will not only bring together the knowledge generated in the project, but will also include social and cultural capital as well in order to simulate pathways for the development of a “post-animal bioeconomy” in Norway and explore the effects it will have on agriculture and aquaculture.

WP manager: Erika Palmer