Sorghum for Sweden? Perspectives on Climate-Resilient Crop Adoption from the Field
(2025) In IIIEE Master Thesis IMEM02 20251The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
- Abstract
- In Sweden, climate projections indicate longer growing seasons with more frequent extreme weather events, such as droughts and heavy rainfall, posing significant challenges to existing crop systems. Simultaneously, the sector is under growing pressure to reduce its environmental footprint, especially in response to agricultural nutrients runoff contributing to the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. These dynamics underscore an urgent need for resilient and diversified cropping systems. Sorghum, a low-input, climate-resilient cereal that serves multiple functions as food, feed and bioenergy, presents a promising opportunity in this context. Due to lack of knowledge and experience on how to integrate it into the existing farming systems,... (More)
- In Sweden, climate projections indicate longer growing seasons with more frequent extreme weather events, such as droughts and heavy rainfall, posing significant challenges to existing crop systems. Simultaneously, the sector is under growing pressure to reduce its environmental footprint, especially in response to agricultural nutrients runoff contributing to the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. These dynamics underscore an urgent need for resilient and diversified cropping systems. Sorghum, a low-input, climate-resilient cereal that serves multiple functions as food, feed and bioenergy, presents a promising opportunity in this context. Due to lack of knowledge and experience on how to integrate it into the existing farming systems, sorghum remains underutilized in northern Europe. In recent years, agricultural research experiments have confirmed that some varieties of sorghum can be successfully grown in Sweden. Along this line, this study aims to analyze the key perceived agronomic, socio-economic and policy enablers and barriers facing the adoption of sorghum in Sweden, with a focus on farmers’ perspectives. Using a qualitative, multi-method approach, the research draws on a systematic literature review, two focus group discussions, interviews with 10 organic farmers and 14 agricultural stakeholders, and a complementary policy document analysis. The thesis conceptualizes a framework to guide its analysis building on the factors influencing introduction deducted from the literature and incorporating attributes from the Diffusion of Innovation theory. The findings indicate that while sorghum offers clear agronomic benefits, its adoption in Sweden is constrained by perceived biophysical mismatches, limited seed availability, and a lack of agronomic guidance. Its success is seen as highly site-specific, with concerns around wet weather tolerance, maturity timing, and soil compatibility. Market uncertainties, coupled with infrastructure gaps and low consumer demand, further limit its potential. Additionally, policy frameworks such as CAP subsidies and seed regulations were found to be poorly aligned with the needs of new crops like sorghum. Specifically, sorghum’s exclusion from official CAP crop codes, lack of registered seed varieties, and administrative ambiguities around eligibility criteria limit farmers' access to subsidies and technical guidance. This places the burden of risk and experimentation largely on farmers without sufficient institutional support. The thesis concludes that introducing sorghum at scale will require coordinated policy support, market development, and improved farmer engagement. A guiding roadmap is proposed to support its sustainable integration into Sweden’s agricultural systems. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9209198
- author
- Allam, Habiba LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- IMEM02 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Sorghum, Farmer Perceptions, Climate-Resilient Crop Adoption, Agricultural Policy, Sweden
- publication/series
- IIIEE Master Thesis
- report number
- 2025:27
- ISSN
- 1401-9191
- language
- English
- id
- 9209198
- date added to LUP
- 2025-08-12 14:35:08
- date last changed
- 2025-08-12 14:35:08
@misc{9209198,
abstract = {{In Sweden, climate projections indicate longer growing seasons with more frequent extreme weather events, such as droughts and heavy rainfall, posing significant challenges to existing crop systems. Simultaneously, the sector is under growing pressure to reduce its environmental footprint, especially in response to agricultural nutrients runoff contributing to the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. These dynamics underscore an urgent need for resilient and diversified cropping systems. Sorghum, a low-input, climate-resilient cereal that serves multiple functions as food, feed and bioenergy, presents a promising opportunity in this context. Due to lack of knowledge and experience on how to integrate it into the existing farming systems, sorghum remains underutilized in northern Europe. In recent years, agricultural research experiments have confirmed that some varieties of sorghum can be successfully grown in Sweden. Along this line, this study aims to analyze the key perceived agronomic, socio-economic and policy enablers and barriers facing the adoption of sorghum in Sweden, with a focus on farmers’ perspectives. Using a qualitative, multi-method approach, the research draws on a systematic literature review, two focus group discussions, interviews with 10 organic farmers and 14 agricultural stakeholders, and a complementary policy document analysis. The thesis conceptualizes a framework to guide its analysis building on the factors influencing introduction deducted from the literature and incorporating attributes from the Diffusion of Innovation theory. The findings indicate that while sorghum offers clear agronomic benefits, its adoption in Sweden is constrained by perceived biophysical mismatches, limited seed availability, and a lack of agronomic guidance. Its success is seen as highly site-specific, with concerns around wet weather tolerance, maturity timing, and soil compatibility. Market uncertainties, coupled with infrastructure gaps and low consumer demand, further limit its potential. Additionally, policy frameworks such as CAP subsidies and seed regulations were found to be poorly aligned with the needs of new crops like sorghum. Specifically, sorghum’s exclusion from official CAP crop codes, lack of registered seed varieties, and administrative ambiguities around eligibility criteria limit farmers' access to subsidies and technical guidance. This places the burden of risk and experimentation largely on farmers without sufficient institutional support. The thesis concludes that introducing sorghum at scale will require coordinated policy support, market development, and improved farmer engagement. A guiding roadmap is proposed to support its sustainable integration into Sweden’s agricultural systems.}},
author = {{Allam, Habiba}},
issn = {{1401-9191}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{IIIEE Master Thesis}},
title = {{Sorghum for Sweden? Perspectives on Climate-Resilient Crop Adoption from the Field}},
year = {{2025}},
}