Swiss agriculture -

Agricultural history is closely connected to human history. When modern humans established settlements in this region about 8,000 years ago, farming and stockbreeding began to grow. At the times of the ancient Romans, large-scale farms provided cities with foodstuff. In the Middle Ages, three-field rotation consisting of winter and summer grain and a fallow period prevailed. This production method was only replaced in the 18th century. During this period, potatoes were grown for the first time. Additional types of cultivation appeared, enriching the rotation of crops. The 19th century was characterised by increasing industrialisation. Cheap grain was frequently imported into Switzerland. Domestic production decreased and the degree of self-sufficiency dropped dangerously. As a consequence, serious bottlenecks in the supply of foods to the population occurred during the First World War.

In order to avoid a similar development a federal law was enacted in the spring of 1938, guaranteeing the supply of the country’s essential produce. The Second World War triggered the so-called Emergency Cultivation Scheme using every area to grow crops. Swiss agriculture succeeded in increasing production to an extent that, despite closed borders, there were hardly any bottlenecks in food production. The Agricultural Act of 1951 determined that local agriculture should provide the country with foodstuffs. Furthermore, the Act propagated a viable farming community and efficient agricultural methods. Soon this policy led up a blind alley, causing overproduction and high prices. Due to intensive agriculture, increasing ecological problems appeared. While the core task of modern agriculture is still the production of foodstuffs, attention must be paid to ecological and sustainable criteria. The Swiss population confirmed this requirement on June 9, 1996 by voting in favour of a new article on agriculture that will be integrated into the federal constitution.