Other development Projects

A decision has been made to relocate the fruit and berry processing activities at the Balsgård unit to Alnarp. Plant material will be moved from Balsgård to Campus Alnarp to ensure long-term availability for research, education, and variety development. The establishment of selected plant material in Alnarp is set to begin in 2022/2023, and the relocation is expected to take place over three years.

Pooling resources and infrastructure enhance the possibilities for coordination with other parts of the LTV Faculty's activities in plant breeding, research, and education. Co-location also strengthens horticulture, which is a significant focus within the faculty.

The buildings and building-adjacent land at Balsgård will now be sold, while the cultivation land will be retained. SLU's property department will continue to be responsible for the cultivation of land. When the land is not in use by SLU, it will be made available to external parties through leasing.

Read more about the development work (in swedish)

All irrigation on the Alnarp campus is currently done with drinking water, specifically municipal water with occasional low pressure. SLU aims to change this in order to work more sustainably. In 2021, a project was initiated to investigate potential solutions to the problem.

Previously, the possibility of drilling a well on SLU's property was explored and denied as it could have a negative impact on the Aquifer. The Aquifer is the system that converts energy into heating and cooling in Alnarp.

Investigation for short and long-term solutions

A water investigation has been conducted to assess water extraction and future usage forecasts. Several test fields on the Alnarp campus are planned for establishment, and plant material from Balsgård was submitted to the steering group for campus development in spring 2023.

The investigation resulted in both a short-term and a long-term solution. The short-term solution involves continuing to use municipal water for the irrigation of apple breeding experiments. The project is ongoing and is managed by Akademiska hus.

Long-term efforts continue to explore the possibility of establishing a combined wetland and irrigation pond in the northern part of Alnarp. This work is being carried out by a collaboration group consisting of Lomma municipality, Akademiska hus, and SLU. A workshop, organized by SLU, was held in spring 2023 to provide inspiration. Read more about the workshop here.

Lönnstorp Well

SLU is further investigating the possibility of using water from an existing well at the Lönnstorp experimental station northeast of the Alnarp campus.

Developing our outdoor learning environments becomes an important and exciting piece of the extensive work being done to transform the campus into a green meeting place for education, research, and innovation. In collaboration with Akademiska hus, an innovation project is underway, based on the question of what enables or enhances the quality of outdoor learning activities. The project can be divided into three stages:

1. The first stage involves developing a program basis for designing prototypes for various learning activities in the outdoor environment. This groundwork has been laid through a workshop process during the autumn of 2023 and is summarized in this document.
2. The second stage is to design and construct prototypes in different locations on the Alnarp campus. This will be carried out by students at Alnarp during the spring term of 2024.
3. The third and final stage is evaluation, estimated to continue until 2025.

Read more about the project in the program basis (only in Swedish)

Possible locations for a new organic field on Alnarp Estate's land. Each area is approximately 10 hectares. Prioritization is based on numbers, with 1 being the highest priority and 3 the lowest.

Lönnstorp Experimental Station is losing just over 6 hectares of organically converted land on Campus, which the station uses for conducting organic field trials. Akademiska Hus has sold this land to Lomma Municipality. The remaining organically converted land on Campus that has not been sold is where Lönnstorp Experimental Station intends to continue its research.

Organic fields are in high demand for experiments, and more fields will be needed in the future. Therefore, the working group has identified possible areas covering 10 hectares, on land owned by SLU.

The prioritization has been done by Erik Rasmusson, Georg Carlsson, and Johannes Albertsson, after site visits and discussions with Alexandra Nikolic and Leif Bengtsson. The background and reasons for the prioritization are as follows:

1 – Good visibility, close to Lönnstorp, and easily accessible for machinery, suitable soil types (some with lighter soil suitable for vegetables, some with heavier soil suitable for grains), the possibility of coordinating irrigation investment with the fruit and berry fields located directly adjacent in the northwest.

2 – Suitable soil types (mostly with lighter soil suitable for various crops), close to the central farm where another organically converted experimental field is located, and the possibility of installing a pump (currently absent) for irrigation from the existing well at the central farm.

3a and 3b – equally viable options, well-located near the campus, fields with relatively even terrain with slightly heavier soil, not ideal for vegetables. 3a has the advantage of being a completely flat and level area, but the disadvantage of the possibility of standing water along the boundary adjacent to the landscape laboratory.

A project to place the pergola "Per Friberg" is ongoing, and the pergola is expected to be in place at campus Alnarp by 2024.

The pergola "Per Friberg" was designed on behalf of the Swedish Association of Architects and its local chapter in Skåne by architect Karin Sundberg for the H22 exhibition in 2022. It served as a homage to the Zebrapaviljongen designed by Per Friberg for the classic H55 exhibition in Helsingborg in 1955. After the 2022 exhibition, the pergola was donated to SLU Alnarp by the Swedish Association of Architects Skåne.

The connection to Per Friberg (1920-2014) is significant for research and education in the field of landscape architecture at SLU because Friberg was a professor in Alnarp for 20 years, from the mid-60s to the mid-80s. Friberg is widely regarded as one of the leading Swedish landscape architects and architects of the 20th century. He nurtured and advanced South Scandinavian modernism in the field of landscape architecture.

After nearly 40 years of suspension, passenger trains have been stopping at Lomma station and other stations along the Lommabanan railway line since December 2020. Now, work continues developing Stage Two of the Lommabanan project, which includes train stops in both Alnarp and Flädie. These stations are expected to be completed by December 2027.

The Alnarp train station project includes the construction of two side platforms of 170 meters each, including platform equipment, as well as a pedestrian and bicycle tunnel under the railway with connecting stairs and ramps. The existing level crossing at Sundsvägen will be closed and removed.

A train station in Alnarp provides excellent opportunities for employees and students at SLU Alnarp to travel sustainably and also for visitors to the area. In the future, the train station will also facilitate travel for those who will eventually move into the residential area planned north of the existing campus. The total cost is estimated to be 130 million Swedish kronor.

Read more about the expansion of the Lommabanan railway line on the respective websites of Lomma Municipality and the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket).

Lommabanan Stage Two - Lomma Municipality

Lommabanan Expansion - Trafikverket