SWEDEN
I run a vegetable CSA on 2500 square meters using, the land of a neighbour for free. Last year, my boyfriend and I delivered vegetables to 40 households for 20 weeks. This year I’m working alone so must reduce my output. I’m a board member of CSA Sweden and I’m part of a Facebook group where small-scale farmers are colleagues, not competitors. I envision more cooperation between different fields.
Sweden is facing a consumerism anti-climax: we are one of the richest countries and have everything, but people are not happy. Interest for the local and societal integration has started to grow. CSAs and farmers’ markets are on the rise. People worried about climate are motivated to buy organic local food. Hopefully Covid-19 will act as a wakeup call for Sweden’s self-sufficiency.
We face a tradition of big companies and a huge amount of controlling for food production. It’s difficult to be a small-scale entrepreneur. Small farms are controlled (and also have to pay the controls) formed for large scale companies. Some kind of free consulting for young farmers when it comes to taxes and controls might help as well as making land more accessible.