Husbehovsodling under andra världskriget i Sverige

Sammanfattning

This study examines the Swedish household cultivation of horticultural crops during the Second World War. The overall aim is to provide a broad overview of the phenomenon, as the topic has been sparsely covered in Swedish literature. The study encompasses the entire country, with a particular focus on central Sweden, while excluding commercial farms and market gardens. The methodological approach is mainly an archive study with daily newspapers and journals. Literature study and photographs have been used to complement the newspapers and journals. One aim of this study is to see how the discussions around household cultivation of horticultural crops went on and who were involved in the discussion. The discussion involved several people from the horticultural industry, but also teachers, state authorities, and high-status individuals like professors. Positive arguments about household cultivation involved its contribution to the national food supply and economic reasons. Negative argumentation centered around the lacking horticultural knowledge of private individuals, the absence of knowledge-based planning and whether the land had the right conditions. There is no clear line between a positive and negative side, as there was a consensus that horticultural cultivation was something positive, with the proper circumstances. It also examines the different ways knowledge in vegetable production could reach household gardeners. The information that was directed to the household gardeners could be courses, literature, lectures, guidance, films and radio programs, and was distributed by state authorities, food markets, schools, garden authorities and organizations. The different ways of reaching the private individuals had different target groups and had probably different levels of knowledge. Finally, the recommendations of different vegetables and what vegetables that were grown by the house gardeners are analyzed. Recommended vegetables and the ones that were grown are somewhat linked, where potatoes, carrots, cabbage and legumes were the main examples, aligning with previous recommendations from the early 20th century. The study also connects to the present, discussing similarities and differences and suggesting that lessons from World War II could help improve preparation for a possible crisis today.