Agricultural area
Approximately a quarter of Switzerland's land area consists of agricultural land, and this area is slowly decreasing. As the area decreases, the remaining agricultural land is often used more intensively. This puts pressure on animals and plants that live on agricultural land that is extensively farmed. When agricultural land is built over, it also also loses its ecological functions (see also 'Sealed area' indicator). When agricultural land is abandoned, it is often reforested, which changes the landscape.
poor
negative
The area used for agriculture is shrinking. Since statistics were first recorded in 1985 to the most recent in 2018, the annual decline – excluding Alpine farming areas – has fluctuated between 0.2 and 0.3 per cent. In absolute terms, this is a decline of 742 square kilometres over the 33 years. Agricultural land excluding summering areas represented 23 per cent of the total land area in 2018.
The slowest decrease is in the Jura, where less agricultural land is giving way to settlement growth. It is most rapid on the southern flank of the Alps, where a change in land use for economic reasons is widespread. The largest area of agricultural land in absolute terms is being lost on the Swiss Plateau.
- Related indicators
- Sealed area
The indicator is listed as 'Land-use change' in the European Union (EU) agri-environmental indicators. Similar trends can be observed in all of the longer-term EU member countries; in the member countries that have joined the EU more recently there is no clear consistent trend.
Two data sources were used to calculate changes in agricultural area, i.e. (a) land-use statistics for agricultural areas and (b) the farm structure survey (Federal Statistical Office and Federal Office for Agriculture) for agricultural areas. Changes in agricultural area (Section (a) above) are recorded under indicator E2 (Size of areas of defined use) in Biodiversity Monitoring Switzerland. The addition of the farm structure survey, which includes soil use, has improved information on agriculture.
| Targeted trend | Initial value | Final value | Variation in % | Observed trend | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stabilisation | 1979/85 | 2013/18 | -7.25% | Decrease | negative |
Further information
