agricultural research, Agroscope, citing potatoes as an example. Findings in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Italy were used for comparative purposes. The results were less clear-cut in the case of animal products. Biodiversity, on the other hand, has remained stable. This is positive news given its otherwise historic decline, the government wrote in its 2025 Agricultural Report. Biodiversity levels are nevertheless still very low. There is, therefore, still a lot to do to improve environmental sustainability. According to a new Agroscope study, it is possible for the food system to be much more environmentally friendly, resulting in healthier diets and a higher rate of food self-sufficiency. 3 Is Switzerland a country of small farms? By international standards, farms in Switzerland tend to be relatively small family businesses. The average size of a Swiss farm is 22 hectares of used agricultural area, which is considerably less than in most European Union countries. There is no precise definition of what a small farm is, although a farm of 10 hectares or less is typically referred to as a smallholding or small-scale farm. Switzerland has 13,213 such farms (out of a total of 47,075 farms in 2024). Nearly five per cent of farms cover even less than a hectare. Most farms (12,380 in 2024) are between 10 and 20 hectares, while seven percent of farms exceed 50 hectares. The traditional Swiss farm is primarily a family operation run on a full-time or parttime basis. All family members are typically involved, often across multiple generations. Swiss agriculture has, however, been in a state of flux for quite some time. Around one to 1.5 percent of farms close every year. In 2025 alone, 805 farms went out of business. The land is usually taken over by neighbouring farms, hence the average agricultural area per farm is steadily increasing. Farms have increased in size by some 50 per cent since 2000. 4 To what extent does the state subsidise food production? Switzerland pours huge subsidies into food production, and our farmers receive some of the highest levels of government support worldwide. This reflects a deliberate political strategy. Roughly half of every franc that a farmer makes comes from the state, either in the form of subsidies (e.g. direct payments) or through higher consumer prices caused by tariffs. Liberal think tank Avenir Suisse estimates that agricultural trade protection costs Switzerland nearly three billion Swiss francs a year. Added to this are federal contributions to support production and promote sales, such as cheese-making subsidies, which amount to about 500 million francs a year on top of 2.8 billion francs in direct payments (2024). Consequently, every person in Switzerland pays an average 300 francs of their own money in direct payments to the agricultural sector each year, as well as around 40 francs to the dairy industry, regardless of how much or Switzerland pours huge subsidies into food production, and our farmers receive some of the highest levels of government support worldwide. By international standards, farms in Switzerland tend to be relatively small family businesses. Swiss Review / July 2026 / No. 3 6 Focus
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