Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Sweden's agriculture has historically been a cornerstone of Sweden's economy. By providing food security, rural employment and economic stability. Lantmännen was established in 1889. The cooperative is owned by approximately 18 000 farmers and functions as an organization encompassing sectors such as agriculture, food production, machinery and bioenergy. This organization has favorably contributed to the development of Swedish agriculture. However, in recent years, the agricultural production in Sweden has been affected by the intensified climate changes. The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute presents extreme and unpredictable weather due to Climate changes. These periods were significantly observed in agricultural production during the years 2018 and 2023. The drought in 2018 led to a lower harvest in quantity, whilst the drought followed by heavy precipitation 2023 led to a lower quality and quantity of the harvest. These trends are observed within the EU, and consequently, the Common agricultural Policy, as well as new directives are being formed to combat these new challenges.
This research aims to contribute to an understanding of various sets of policy frameworks within the EU that are communicated to the Swedish agricultural production through Lantmännen. Furthermore, it is of interest to investigate the perception of climate change and how well adaptation strategies are being implemented for maintaining a financially stable production.
To comprehend factors influencing the rate of implementation and adaptation to climate change, the reader additionally needs to comprehend market circumstances and the impact of attitudes on producers' decision-making. Furthermore, it is of significance to the reader to understand how institutions such as the EU promote and support producers, and how this is received by the member states, specifically Sweden. The theoretical framework in which this research is based includes Contingency theory, Institutional theory, and SWOT analysis. This research is conducted through a qualitative research method, including a narrative literature review. The author conducted interviews with five respondents from the organization Lanmännen. The respondents were asked to answer the questions found in Annex 1. The answers are further presented in Chapter 4.
The research shows how different market conditions contribute to the attitudes of the producers. Furthermore, attitudes of producers are significantly linked to formal and informal institutions, which in turn affects various contingencies forming an organization. The created policy frameworks, in combination with Lantmännens communication to producers, constitutes how well adaptation strategies are implemented by producers.