TORSHAVN, Faroe Islands — The farmers’ market looked — let’s be honest — sad.

Conditions aren’t friendly in the Faroe Islands for growing food. Raked by north Atlantic winds and nibbled by thousands of sheep, the nearly treeless islands have poor soil and little room for planting. Potatoes and rhubarb are local staples.

But some residents have had enough of importing almost all their food from the rest of Europe and beyond. Many products are stamped with the flag of Denmark, under which the islands are self-governing.

There are efforts to grow more adventurous crops like kale, seen as hardy elsewhere in the world, and to promote local products — from seaweed to meat and fish “fermented” by the salty air.

That work can be seen in the Faroese capital of Torshavn, where the tiny farmers'

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