Costs, Environmental Gains, and Potential for National Self- Sufficiency with Ecological Recycling Agriculture in Sweden— Calculations Based on Case Studies of 30 Farms

Abstract

The need for reduced climate impact in agriculture and an increased interest in self-sufficient food production in Sweden serves as the main background for the study. The study examined if conversion of Swedish agriculture following principles of Ecological Recycling Agriculture (ERA) could be a realistic alternative in addressing both those issues, and what the resulting price for that food would be. Case studies of 30 ERA farms were performed. These farms show substantially lower climate impact compared to the national average, through 75% lower commodity purchases and twice the amount of carbon sequestration in soil thanks to more ley cropping. An alternative diet including less meat and more grain, vegetables and dairy products was defined. Two different methods were used for matching production with consumption. The results are presented in scenarios where different combinations of the farms’ staple food production are upscaled for a Swedish population of 10.5 million inhabitants. Results are presented in kg produced, hectares of arable land, CO2 equivalents, kg of surplus N, and production costs per capita. It is shown that an 80-95% reduction in climate impact is possible, and that it is within range for Sweden to become self-sufficient in staple foods based on the available acreage of arable land by adopting Ecological Recycling Agricultural principles in a manner similar to the studied farms. However, diets need to change in a lacto-vegetarian direction. Production costs would be slightly higher for most products, but consumers’ food expenses could be lower if they also change their diet. Possible political instruments are proposed to realize these scenarios.

Keywords

climate impact / acreage need / nutrient balance / self-sufficiency / production costs / food consumption / ley cropping / carbon sequestration / organic / agriculture

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