Without you, the freezers will be empty
During the summer, many Swedes have followed the weather forecasts as if it were the end of a TV series. Will the holiday be rained out? Should we travel abroad, so we get some sun? Not even fires on Rhodes have been able to stop Swedish sun worshipers.
Others are glued to the weather apps for the opposite reason – they hope for rain. No, these are not joy killers or holiday satanists. I am talking about Sweden’s farmers. You know the ones who make sure the rest of us don’t starve to death. Possibly a novelty for some metropolitan residents, but food does not grow in Ica.
The drought hit hard
During the early summer, farmers followed the weather sites with increasing concern. The spring’s cold and night frosts were followed by heat and drought until the end of June. Many have been hit hard financially.
There is support to be had. But how the money should be distributed is not simple. If everyone can apply, there will be very little for everyone. The Swedish Board of Agriculture has therefore come up with a recommendation to the government. They want to give all support to young farmers.
It is wise. Young farmers usually have a more struggling economy, but above all they are the ones who have to build the agriculture of the future.
The responsibility of the Tiktok generation
No previous generation of farmers has had a more difficult task.
Climate change puts everything on hold. Sweden is expected to become warmer and drier – but it could also be the other way around. Apparently, an important Atlantic current may be about to collapse and make Scandinavia cold. The risk of this is disputed, but agriculture needs to be prepared for all eventualities.
But the usually cautious Swedes have taken most things with a heel kick in matters of food supply. The just-in-time (JIT) principle, where goods are not stored in advance but delivered when they are demanded, has been prevalent. The expression could just as well be renamed “mañana-mañana”.
Preparedness needed
Now the pandemic and the war have shown how vulnerable our societies are. We cannot count on all food being able to be imported. We need our own robust preparedness. But it will not go without a generational change in agriculture. Today, the average age of a farmer is 60, and fewer and fewer young people are entering the workforce.
What happens when they retire?
Compensating the young for the drought is a good first step. But much more is needed. Because if Generation Tiktok doesn’t become farmers, we all risk starving to death in the end.
What do you think? Chat with Henrik Jalalian. The live chat starts at 09:00, but you can post now.
Now it was time to end the chat! Thanks for the wise thoughts. Have a nice week!
It is not only farmers who are in short supply, many craft professions also have the same future prospects.
Today, there is a belief that it is “finer” to study at university than to train as a craftsman. The university expansion around 2000 has made these too accessible, which has resulted in even those with a poorer reading head getting a place. Which in turn lowers the quality of the training.
There needs to be a change in the way we look at the craft professions so that it becomes attractive to apply to vocational high schools again. Our Employment Agency should have worked on that if they had been on their toes, but…
Ove
Really, many shortcomings that too few seek. For-profit independent schools are a small culprit in the drama here. It’s hard for the underdog to compete with a high school program to become influencers!
Well, it was very well written. It’s as true as Amen in the church.
The younger generation believes that you can get everything just by going to the store. It’s just there. How it got there, no one thinks about. Fortunately, not everyone can bear to sit with a screen. There are those who want other things in life.
Kent
Yes exactly. But they must be given the right conditions. Not everyone wants to run a large farming business either, but may prefer something smaller. But it is often very difficult to manage.
It’s not just agriculture that will collapse under the leadership of the TikTok generation. I myself have children of that age and in front of all the practical activities that take place in reality, their interest and ability is next to non-existent.
Carl
Things like that usually get better with age, I think. But you get to show them a tractor!
Does it have to be either a farmer or a tik tok influencer? As the boss in “The Office” said “they’re not mutually exclusive”
Jens
True! We need more tiktok farmers! 😉
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