Switzerland could produce far more of its own food while cutting environmental damage, according to a study published late last year, which argues that eliminating inefficiencies in the food system—especially feed production and waste—would sharply raise food output.
The country’s self-sufficiency rate (SSR), a measure of how many consumed calories are produced domestically, is just under 50%. Policymakers want at least to maintain it; some campaigners would like to see it pushed to 70%.
The study suggests that, in theory, Switzerland could exceed 100%, producing enough food for nearly 10m people. This is not a policy target, but it shows the scale of the inefficiencies.
The biggest gains come from two sources: cutting food waste and shifting farmland from animal feed to crops for human consumption. Feeding animals is inherently inefficient: much of the energy is lost in conversion. Redirecting crops to people would allow the same land to feed far more mouths. Smaller tweaks—such as using food waste for pig feed, improving grassland management or extending dairy cows’ productive lives—would also add up.
Cattle farming offers particularly large savings. The study highlights the heavy use of concentrated feed, much of it imported, as a major inefficiency. Cutting such feed in dairy production and relying more on grass could free up land, both in Switzerland and abroad, to feed an additional 1m people. Swiss milk output would fall by about 15%, roughly matching current overcapacity. Further reductions in feed maize could feed another 500,000 people.
The environmental benefits would be substantial. Agriculture’s greenhouse-gas emissions in Switzerland are driven largely by ruminants like cows. Fewer animals, and less imported feed, would cut emissions sharply and help meet climate targets. Ammonia pollution would also fall, as livestock numbers and manure volumes decline. Manure runoff is having a damaging effect of Swiss lakes and waterways.
Many of these changes would not require heavy investment. Some could even be cost-neutral or profitable for farmers. Yet they rarely occur, in part because policy works against them. Subsidies and border protections favour animal production over crops for direct human consumption, skewing incentives.
Another challenge is eating preferences. Demand would need to align with agricultural change.
The study’s implication is clear. Switzerland could feed itself, and do so more sustainably. But achieving that would require not just technical adjustments on farms, but a shift in policy and in what people put on their plates.
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Link to study (in German)
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