Switzerland: Sufficient Arable Land for Food Security

In Switzerland, 445'680 hectares of crop rotation areas (CRA) have been secured.

These are the soils with the highest agricultural yield potential. They are intended to ensure self-sufficiency in the event of severe shortages. According to the federal government's first CRA statistics, Switzerland thereby meets the prescribed minimum requirement, but the CRA are under pressure.

According to the sectoral plan for CRA, Switzerland must secure at least 438'460 hectares of crop rotation areas. The federal government's first survey shows that this figure is slightly exceeded, by 7'220 hectares. Accordingly, today nearly 11 percent of the national territory is secured as CRA. This amounts to 506 m² per person. All cantons and 90 percent of all municipalities contribute to this result. Securing the CRA is a shared goal.

Nevertheless, crop rotation areas are under pressure. Society's demand for space is increasing. Housing, leisure activities, mobility and energy production have driven up land consumption. Agricultural land has been particularly affected, and with it, at times, the CRA as well.

The pressure on crop rotation areas could intensify in the future given population and economic growth and society's evolving needs. The federal government and the cantons must therefore ensure the long-term preservation of the CRA in accordance with the sectoral plan. Where CRA are used for other purposes, they should be compensated as far as possible. For federal projects, the CRA sectoral plan stipulates that all utilised crop rotation areas must be fully compensated.

First National Overview

The present first edition of the FFF statistics is part of the Sectoral Plan FFF revised in 2020. This sectoral plan is an instrument of the federal government to safeguard agriculturally valuable soils. It is intended to enable Switzerland to guarantee the food supply of its population on its own in the event of a prolonged severe shortage. The prescribed minimum extent of the FFF is based on a defined caloric requirement per day and person (see box).

The new statistics were compiled by the Federal Office for Spatial Development together with the cantons and the Federal Offices for the Environment, for Agriculture and for National Economic Supply. For the first time, they provide a nationwide overview of the secured crop rotation areas (FFF) in the cantons. Secured means: the areas can, but do not yet have to, be used for arable farming. However, they must be quickly available for cultivation and yield a harvest within one year. The secured FFF therefore cannot be built over or sealed.

With the second edition of the statistics in 2027, more extensive comparative analyses will be possible.

What are crop rotation areas (FFF)?

FFF are those arable areas with the highest yield potential and the highest yield reliability. According to the statistics, they currently account for just under 31 percent of Switzerland's total agricultural area. Safeguarding these areas is the responsibility of the cantons. The Sectoral Plan FFF specifies the respective quota for each canton. In doing so, the differing topographical and climatic conditions in the cantons are taken into account. The framework conditions for defining FFF therefore differ from canton to canton. Consequently, not all secured areas have the same soil quality. Furthermore, cantonal differences exist in the recording of FFF and in data quality.

The prescribed nationwide minimum extent of 438,460 hectares of FFF is calculated based on a caloric requirement of 2,340 kcal per day and person. This requirement is to be met in the event of a severe shortage by four crops: potatoes, grain, rapeseed and sugar beet. According to the Sectoral Plan FFF, Switzerland is the only country that secures its crop rotation areas.

Source: Federal Office for Spatial Development ARE