HOW CHANGES IN FARMERS ’ VIEWS OF QUALITY OF LIFE BRING ABOUT STRUCTURAL CHANGES: THE CASE OF FARMING IN THREE MARGINAL AREAS OF SWEDEN

Why do farms shut down in marginal areas of Sweden even though the financial situation seems reasonable? One hypothesis is that traditional farming does not offer good enough quality of life for today’s farmer or his/her family. Recent Swedish literature shows the problems arising when social service and facilities abandon the countryside and how it becomes difficult being a farmer and a modern citizen at the same time. Today, the norm is more vacation and higher financial position, for farmers, as well as all citizens. The qualities of farm life, such as autonomy, closeness to nature and tradition, in relation to society’s norms of life quality, including all kinds of facilities, cultural life, leisure, vacation and financial position will bring about structural changes in agriculture. To increase private consumption, obtain more leisure and vacation time or even find a new job/life situation near cities, farmers intensify production, shift from dairy production to livestock, buy a new milking robot or shut down the farm. This is part of a story of 30 farmers in marginal areas of Sweden, two in Västerbotten in the north of Sweden and one in the forests of Småland in the south. Interviews were conducte