Secured food production in robust landscapes

Business, politics, food and biodiversity

It is about diversification – there is room for small and large producers, vegetable and meat production, organic and sustainable, utilization of resources – it creates biodiversity and a robust food system. In order for it to be realized, certain political stances and decisions that go in the right direction will also be needed.

In the invitation to the meeting, the County Administrative Board describes the challenge as follows;
Robust ecosystems and a diversity of agricultural and food businesses are the basis for good food preparedness and create resilience against both climate change and turbulence outside Sweden. But today the trend is for many Swedish farms to close down and those that remain are forced to grow and intensify. The results will be a reduced diversity in both the landscape and the farming community, which erodes both ecosystem services and Sweden’s long-term ability to supply. We need to work in a direction where consumption and the food system enable a profitable and diversified production that simultaneously protects both farmers and natural resources.

I have the privilege of participating in many meetings, seminars and talks regarding the future of food supply – this event organized by the Nature Conservation Association and the Skåne County Board was one of the best I have been to.
To take part in the farmer Mats everyday life at Körslättsgård, what reality looks like for a farmer. Körslättsgård is a local force in the green protein shift through the cultivation of wheat, maize, sunflowers, green peas and lupins. The farm has also taken a step up the value chain through a purification plant for local legume producers.

Later, the Nature Conservation Society tells its view on the current situation, without pointing the finger in any direction. Based on the report: ”Agriculture, society and biological diversity”, it was a fruitful and interesting discussion that addresses the complexity of the issue, but at the same time shows that solutions are within reach that are not unattainable or too radical.

When you talk to each other and not about each other, the conditions for understanding and success are significantly greater
It was a well-composed group that participated with researchers from Sweden’s University of Agriculture, representatives from the Farmers’ Confederation, Strategists from Region Skåne, local politicians, Orkla Foods and Absolut Group from the processing sector, Innovation companies and of course local farmers.

There is room for everyone, but not exactly in the way you conduct your business today.
Everyone was able to describe their input values in the question and space was given to ask those questions that are needed to really understand what is meant and how things work. Local politicians, who are of course not experts, had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the issue and picked up concrete challenges that can be influenced and worked with within local politics, as well as carried forward to the national level. A sane discussion where, of course, not everyone is in complete agreement, but if everything is not painted in black or white, there are good conditions for arriving at possible ways forward together. It is clear that the most reasonable solution for a sustainable and robust food supply to be given the opportunity to develop is very much about diversification – it does not exclude anyone, but at the same time it means that everyone cannot continue to conduct their business exactly as they do today. At the same time changes need to start right now.

After this meeting I´m hopefull – many thanks.