Yes, this is true, I think. Though these farms are dying a slow death due to changes in legislation and subsidies. Another reason why the countryside, provinces and smaller cities in general have fared better in Norway than e.g. Sweden is that Norway used to have a policy of decentralisation, where it was supposed to be possible to live a decent life outside of the bigger cities, even up in the cold north. All this is changing as the society has become less egalitarian, more competition-oriented, than before, thanks to a slow political shift to the right over a period of several decades now.There is a reason why there are lots of picturesque small farms in Norway - crazy duty demanded by the Farmers Lobby to save, yes, those picturesque small farms from the giant Agro-companies in the EU.
Re: the import customs duty, my axe to grind is to do with the bureaucracy, delays and customs duty that private individuals are subjected to when they try to buy even relatively small items from abroad.