‘Half a billion kronor to make Sweden 80 percent food self-sufficient’: Deputy PM

“This is something we must take seriously, researchers have alarmingly warned us about it," Says Lövin. Vilhelm Stokstad / TT

Swedens Green Party wants to invest heavily in increased food security and organic farming, says Deputy Prime Minister Isabella Lövin.

Swedens Green Party is calling for an investment of half a billion kronor to take the countrys self-sufficiency rate up from the current 50 percent to 80 percent.

“We must ensure that Sweden can become more self-sufficient, in part but not exclusively, through increased organic food production,” stated Lövin, who's also Minister for International Development, Cooperation and Climate.

The Green Partys proposal comes at a time when record temperatures in several parts of the world and drought in Sweden shed light on how climate change is already here, the Deputy Prime Minister argued.

“This is something we must take seriously, researchers have alarmingly warned us about it.

“We have to prepare ourselves for the fact that we cannot import 50 percent of all the food we eat and make sure we have a farm network that works for us in the future,”

Swedens Green Party proposes that a parliamentary inquiry be appointed with the task of achieving the 80 percent self-supply goal.

Theyve also proposed that funds for this shift towards organic farming be doubled and agricultural land for these purposes be increased to 40 percent.

The Green Party also wants to increase support for Swedish-produced feed and reduce dependence on imported fertilizers.