Agriculture in Sweden differs by region. This is due to different soils and different climate zones, with many parts of the country being more suitable to forestry. It makes more economic sense to dedicate land to forestry than agriculture in the northern and mountainous parts of the country.
The southern tip of Sweden is the most agriculturally productive region. Sweden has quite short growing seasons in most parts of the country and that limits the species and productivity of agriculture. The south has the longest growing season, which in some parts of the south is in excess of 240 days. Wheat, rapeseed and other oil plants, together with sugar beet are common in southern Sweden, while barley and oat are more important further north. Barley and oats are grown mostly for animal feed, especially for pigs and poultry. The Central Swedish lowland is the traditional centre of agriculture in Sweden. Historically, agriculture has been one of the principal sectors of the Swedish economy.
Agricultural production statistics are available online. In the 21st century the Swedish government has committed to securing elimination of carbon emissions from the agricultural industry by 2030.
The food production represented by fishing and aquaculture is not significant in economic terms to the Swedish economy as a whole. However, these activities are important to coastal towns.
Geographical factors
The climate of Sweden is, for the central and southern areas, milder and drier than some countries to the immediate south. This clemency is due to a prevailing west wind and to the influence of the Gulf Stream. The climate in Northern Sweden is largely classified as sub-arctic or tundra.
Approximately one quarter of Sweden's landmass comprises Lapland. Norrland as a whole amounts to 60% of the landmass but contains around 12% of the population. These areas, characterised by lakes, mountains, forests and tundra, are dominated by forestry, logging and mining. The northernmost regions are also inhabited by the Sámi peoples, whose traditional animal husbandry strengths were and are in connection with herding reindeer.
Central and southern Sweden provide the areas of key agricultural importance.
The island of Gotland, off the eastern coast, is Sweden's largest island and is an important centre for food processing and agriculture.
Current summary
In 2023 overall gross farm income was SEK 9.1 billion, establishing a 50% drop compared to the previous year. This difference is ascribed to falling grain prices and static production outlays. The overall gross farm income figure is, however, similar to that applying in the period 2019–2021.
Dairy farming is the largest sector in economic terms, and is responsible for 20 per cent of the value of all Swedish agricultural production. Pork and poultry production are also relatively large, while sheep and lamb production are quite limited. Sheep and lamb producers and wool production are not able to compete with countries (such as Australia and New Zealand) that have year-round green pastures.
The Swedish agricultural sector (excluding forestry and the food industry) employs 177,600 people, approximating to 1.5 percent of the Swedish workforce. There are 72,000 farms and other agricultural businesses, together representing half the 1970 equivalent. The average farm has of fields.
Policy Government policy is under the control of the Swedish Board of Agriculture, which provides online information as to policy and statistics. Sweden's agricultural planning is in the context of the European Union Common Agricultural Policy. The most recent 5 year strategic Plan filed by Sweden runs from 2023. The Plan encompasses the fact that only 10% of the land surface is used for agriculture, with 70% being used for forestry.
History
Origins Agriculture and animal husbandry took place in the area of modern Sweden during the Stone Age. Barley was the most important crop, but wheat, millet and flax were also cultivated. The christianization of Sweden, around the year 1000, led to improvements in agriculture due to the influx of knowledge of more advanced cultivation methods from southern countries. During the entire medieval period, monastic gardens spread knowledge of foreign plants suitable for cultivation, and of agricultural methods.
16th to 19th centuries In the 16th century Gustaf Vasa took a personal interest in improvement of the royal estate, and his reign saw agriculture flourish. In particular, Sweden regularly exported cereals. This continued until the reign of Charles XII in the early 18th century, by which time wars had taken a heavy toll on the population and the cereal-producing Baltic provinces were lost.
By the mid-18th century land reforms were initiated (storskiftet) by means of which scattered land plots around villages were progressively redistributed into coherent holdings. This offered the possibility for a more rational approach to farming. Swedish scientists also gave attention to the improvement of agriculture, with botanist Carl Linnaeus and agricultural chemist Johan Gottschalk Wallerius as the foremost representatives of this trend. However, mercantilist views of the era guided most government activities.
Animal husbandry came increasingly into focus later in the century. Selected foreign breeds were purchased and made available in breeding stations (1702–1864).
All farms in Sweden were taxed based on their productive capacity, which caused a rise in manorial organisation. This was a social and economic system that allowed the nobility to control labourers whilst providing for their needs. In the early 18th century, according to mantel records, approximately one third of the land was owned in this way by the aristocracy.Olsson, Svenson, Agricultural Growth and Institution: Sweden Due to two different enclosure movements, manorialism rapidly disappeared.
Changes in the 19th century
General In the wake of the Finnish War of 1808–1809, agricultural improvements received significant interest from the Swedish government and from private actors. An important role was played by the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture (founded in 1811) as well as by the Rural Economy and Agricultural Societies. Such associations were founded in most Swedish counties at around this time. The production of distilled beverages, brännvin, was regulated and the land reforms were continued. New areas, especially wetlands, were used for cultivation, and cultivation methods were improved. This was especially true for the production of fodder, which benefited from the cultivation of nitrogen-fixing plants such as clover and alfalfa. Many meadows were converted to fodder crops, thereby increasing the amount of fodder available. Improved crop cultivation received attention in the first half of the 19th century. Grain quickly became Sweden's primary export (instead of being an import).
Southern Sweden Jordmobilisering (soil mobilization) is the term given collectively to the changes during the 19th century in Skåne (or in English Scania) in southern Sweden whereby land use became increasingly rationalised and intensive. This included changes to the use of land, its drainage and exploitation of the greater areas that became available through whole lakes being drained. Several of these major projects took place, notably that in the 1860s of draining the vast lake Näsbyholmssjön west of Skurup. New agricultural techniques raised productivity, and new plant products became available. These changes resulted in increased production of potatoes, wheat and sugar beet. Land became more readily purchasable, and banks and savings societies grew up accordingly. Agriculture became more market-oriented and commercialised. This new prosperity changed the look of the countryside, where many new impressive residences were constructed for farmers and landowners. By contrast, labourers residing in clusters of modest cottages or scattered in the many small coastal villages provided a labour resource. The higher numbers of landless labourers amounted to more than all classes of landed households, meaning that poverty caused many to move away from the countryside whether to emigrate abroad or to take employment in the towns and cities.At page 206-209 in Skansjö, Sten (1997) Skånes Historia Historiska Media (printed by Books on Demand GmbH) ISBN 978-91-7593-098-5
Growth of the dairy sector and industrialization (1860–1960)
From the late 1860s, dairy production, and in particular production of butter, became central to the Swedish agricultural economy. A progressively larger portion of farmland was devoted to fodder production, and the farmed area increased through to the 1920s. Milk- and dairy-related income was the most important source of income for Swedish agricultural businesses around the turn of the 20th century. Swedish cereal exports largely ceased, to be replaced by import of cereals for bread. Conversely, significant exports of butter commenced, followed later by exports of pork and live pigs. In the first years of the 20th century, Sweden exported 16,000-20,000 tons of butter a year.
In the late 1940s, milking machines replaced hand milking and tractors started to replace the use of oxen or horses. Alfa Laval became a well-known manufacturer and brand of milking machines. Whereas in the early part of the twentieth century farming powered by animals was commonplace, in the 1950s, large-scale mechanisation occurred due to cheap supplies of petrol. The Swedish agricultural workforce was reduced by 60 percent between 1945 and 1970, thereby freeing labour for employment in industry.
Deregulation and re-regulation (1989–2000) In 1989, Sweden deregulated its agricultural policy and abolished many subsidies and price controls deriving from the 1930s when agriculture experienced an economic crisis. In 1995, on Sweden joining the European Union, Swedish agriculture became subject to regulation by means of the Common Agricultural Policy.
2000 onwards By 1998 Sweden had achieved full self-sufficiency for most animal products, though around 80% of artificial feedstuffs depended on imports. Soybean cake, mainly from Brazil, was a significant component in supply.Engström, R., Wadeskog, A. and Finnveden, G., 2007. Environmental assessment of Swedish agriculture. Ecological Economics, 60(3), pp.550-563 The focus on environmental issues raised by farming practices dates from the beginning of the 21st century (see below). At that time, organic farming represented approximately 10% of Sweden's arable land in use for organic farming.https://www.organic-africa.net/fileadmin/documents/country_information/sweden/kaellander-2000-sweden-2000-printed-version.pdf Retrieved 24 March 2024
Swedish agricultural cooperatives, in particular in the dairy, meat and grain sectors, during the period 1990 to 2020 experienced a need for major change by establishing mergers or alliances to form larger businesses.Nilsson, J., 2022. Agricultural Cooperative Development and Institutional Change: Swedish examples from 1990 to 2020. International Journal on Food System Dynamics, 13(2), pp.115-127. Very large cooperatives in Sweden have been found to reflect high levels of satisfaction with the structure and functioning of the institution.Hakelius, K. and Nilsson, J., 2020. The logic behind the internal governance of Sweden’s largest agricultural cooperatives. Sustainability, 12(21), p.9073.
Agricultural production statistics
Economic databases for agriculture