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. Sweden has quite short growing seasons in most parts of the country that limits the species and productivity of agriculture, but the south has the longest growing season, in some parts of the south in excess of 240 days. Wheat, rapeseed and other oil plants, and sugar beet are common in southern Sweden, while barley and oat are more important further north.^[1] Barley and oat are grown mostly for animal feed especially for pigs and poultry.

The Central Swedish lowland is the traditional centre of agriculture in Sweden.^[2] Historically, agriculture has been one of the principal sectors of the Swedish economy.^[3]

Geographical factors

The climate of Sweden is for the central and southern areas milder and drier than some more southerly countries. This is due to a prevailing west wind and the influence of the Gulf Stream. The climate in Northern Sweden is largely classified as sub-arctic or tundra.

The island of Gotland, off the Eastern coast of Sweden, is Sweden's largest island and is an important food processing and agricultural centre.

Current summary

The Swedish agricultural sector (forestry and food industry not included) employs 177,600 people, which is 1.5 percent of the Swedish workforce. There are 72,000 farms and other agricultural business, which is half the number of 1970. The average farm has 88 acres (36 ha) of fields.^[1]

Dairy farming is the largest sector in economical terms, and is responsible for 20 per cent of the value of the Swedish agricultural production. Pork and poultry production is also relatively large, while sheep and lamb production is quite small.^[1] Sheep and lamb production and the production of wool cannot compete with Australian and New Zealand production as these countries have green pastures year-round.

In 2023 the 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 those applying in the period 2019-2021.^[4]

Policy

Government policy is under the control of the Swedish Board of Agriculture, which provides online information as to policy and statistics.^[5] 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.^[6] The Plan encompasses the fact that only 10% of the land surface is used for agriculture, with 70% being used for forestry.

History

Agriculture and animal husbandry took place in the area of modern Sweden during the Stone Age.^[7] 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.

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.

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.^[8] 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).^[9]

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 production 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.^[10] Due to two different enclosure movements, manorialism rapidly disappeared.

Growth of 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 the 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 business 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.^[7]

In the late 1940s, milking machines replaced hand milking and tractors started to replace the use of horses. Alfa Laval became a well-known manufacturer and brand of milking machines. 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.^[8]

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.^[11] In 1995, on Sweden joining the European Union, Swedish agriculture became subject to regulation by means of the Common Agricultural Policy.