Managing a farm is complicated as new challenges need to be faced daily. Often, the solution to these problems does not depend on the farmer. Last year, for example, the farm was affected by the African swine fever plague (ASF). The ASF is a devastating infectious disease of pigs, usually deadly. Although it doesn’t affect humans, the lack of a vaccine or cure results in a massive loss of farm pigs. The family had to slaughter every pig they had because of this disease, which also forced them to close the farm to tourists until December.

Their expectations for the near future, consequently, are to increase the demand for tourism on the farm. Stina and Anitha believe that there is a growing interest in nature and contact with animals. In order to promote the development of the tourist side of the farm, they are planning improvements to the facilities: the construction of a sauna, additional accommodation and a new barbecue.  

The farm has 1,000 hectares of arable land. One-third is dedicated to growing oats and wheat, another third is allocated for grazing the animals in summer, while the remaining third is used for cattle grazing in winter. As for the total number of livestock, the farm has eight cows, 250 sheep and 30 pigs. All the animals are bred on the farm until they are sent to the slaughterhouse to get the meat that is later sold in the shop.

With regard to the division of tasks and the workload, the family acknowledges that it is sometimes very difficult to keep up with two parallel businesses. The “Be Farmer for a Day” activity brings them additional income, as it is open to people who don’t stay on the farm, but it is also a greater effort for them. In fact, when the ewes give birth, they can work for up to 24 hours in the sheephouse.

At the same time, the family sees opening up these livestock activities to tourism as an easy way to earn an income: the animals are grazing in the fields and their work is limited to taking tourists to meet them. This is the same philosophy they follow for the exploitation of the forest they own, as they insist that the trees will grow in the same way, whether there are tourists or not. This is an idea they try to convey to forest owners who are still reluctant to open their woodlands to tourism. 

According to the family’s estimates, around 50% of the household’s income comes from farming and the other half from tourism services.

Stina and Anitha are discussing what to include in an agrotourism training program. They both stress a crucial point: safety. The farm strictly follows rules to ensure the safety of animals and guests. Visitors aren’t allowed to freely roam the stables; they must always follow the hosts’ instructions. There are specific regulations in place for the animals’ well-being, too. For example, tourists from abroad can’t interact with the animals until they’ve spent at least 48 hours in Sweden to prevent any diseases from spreading. Therefore, it’s essential to cover safety extensively in the training materials.