Agriculture in Sweden

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 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.