Switzerland currently still has enough good arable land
Published: Tuesday, Nov 28th 2023, 11:30
Updated At: Tuesday, Nov 28th 2023, 11:33
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There is sufficient good arable land available in Switzerland. At 445,680 hectares, the minimum target is exceeded by just under two percent, as a national overview published for the first time shows. Nevertheless, crop rotation areas are under pressure.
These are the soils with the highest agricultural yield potential. They are intended to ensure self-sufficiency in the event of severe shortages and are central to food security in Switzerland. In the event of a severe shortage, the demand should be covered by four crops: Potatoes, cereals, rapeseed and sugar beet.
Switzerland must safeguard at least 438,460 hectares of crop rotation areas in accordance with the sectoral plan for crop rotation areas. According to the first federal statistics, Switzerland meets the minimum requirement by 7220 hectares, as the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE) announced to the media in Bern on Tuesday. This corresponds to the area of the municipality of Frutigen in the canton of Bern.
One quarter of the Bundesplatz per person
The bottom line is that around 11 percent of the national territory and 31 percent of the total agricultural area is currently protected as crop rotation areas. Secured means that the areas can, but do not have to, be used for arable farming. However, they must be available for cultivation quickly and produce a yield within a year. The secured crop rotation areas can therefore not be built over or sealed.
Today, 506 square meters are available per person. This corresponds to around a quarter of the federal square. All cantons and 90 percent of all municipalities contribute to this result, as the federal government writes. The protection of crop rotation areas is a common goal. According to the sectoral plan for crop rotation areas, Switzerland is the only country that protects its crop rotation areas.
Compensation must be made for downsizing
Nevertheless, according to the study, crop rotation areas are under pressure. Society's need for space is increasing. Housing, leisure activities, mobility and energy production have increased the consumption of land. Agricultural land, and therefore sometimes also crop rotation areas, are particularly affected by this.
This could become even more acute in the future due to population and economic growth. "The federal government and the cantons must therefore ensure that the crop rotation areas are preserved in the long term in accordance with the sectoral plan," concludes the study. The second edition of the statistics in 2027 should enable further comparative analyses.
In the case of federal projects, the sectoral plan for crop rotation areas stipulates that all claimed crop rotation areas must be fully compensated. This sectoral plan is an instrument of the federal government to safeguard agriculturally valuable soils. The aim is to ensure that Switzerland can feed its population in the event of a prolonged severe shortage.
All cantons comply with quota
Around half of the crop rotation areas are located in municipalities in the belt of agglomerations, around a third in urban areas and the rest in the countryside. More than 80 percent of the crop rotation areas are located in eight cantons, most of them in the large cantons of Bern, Vaud, Zurich and Aargau.
The end of the last ice age around 12,000 years ago marked the beginning of the growth of these soils, which form the basis for food production and are also excellent carbon reservoirs. The current figures show that all cantons are meeting their quotas, but in most cases only just.
©Keystone/SDA
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