Research project Navigating the Shifting Scales of Food Preparedness: Societal and Farmer Resistance to Crises
In the wake of global disruptions—war, pandemics, inflation, and climate change—agriculture is increasingly framed as vital to national robustness. In Sweden, food preparedness has emerged as a central political concern. However, current strategies focus primarily on future risks, often neglecting the lessons of past crises.
This project explores food preparedness across time and space by comparing two periods of overlapping shocks: the early 20th century (1914–1950) and the present (1990–today).
By following 20 farms in Småland and Skåne, we are investigating how food preparedness has been shaped, challenged, and practiced over time – from local decisions at the farm level to national and global processes.
We see food preparedness as something that concerns the entire society, where farms, infrastructure, politics, and ecosystems interact. Interviews with farmers, historical documents, maps, satellite images, and ecological analyses are used to understand how farms have adapted to uncertainty – in the past and present. The project also addresses differences between large and small farms, how they are affected by political decisions, and the role that diversity and local roots play in coping with crises.