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 raised interest in the self-sufficiency of food in Sweden serve as the major 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 order to accomplish both those issues, and what the price for that food would be. Case studies of 30 ERA farms were performed. The farms show substantially lower climate impact compare to the national average, through 75% lower commodity purchases and 2 times larger carbon sequestration in soil due to more ley cropping. An alternative diet with less meat and more grain, vegetables and dairy products were defined. Two different methods were used for matching the production and consumption. The results are presented in scenarios where different combinations of the farms’ staple food production is upscaled for a Swedish population of 10.5 million inhabitants. Results are presented in kg produced, hectares of arable land, CO₂ equivalents, kg of N surplus, and production costs per capita. It is shown that 80-95% decrease in climate impact is possible, and that it is within range for Sweden to be self-sufficient in staple foods based on the available acreage of arable land by adopting Ecological Recycling Agricultural principles in a similar manner as the studied farms. However, the diet has to change in a lacto-vegetarian direction. Production cost would be slightly higher for most products, but consumers food expenses can be lower if they also change diet. Possible political instruments are proposed to realize these scenarios.