Varbergs goda jord : en fallstudie om värdering och förvaltning av åkermark i Varbergs kommun

Abstract: This is a bachelor thesis about arable land in Varberg, from sustainability and it’s relation to local government and management. Arable land has become more important as a natural resource from a global point of view and in concerns of higher demands of food supply, as a result of population growth, higher consumption worldwide and climate change. But the arable land in Sweden is being exploited an increasingly rapid pace and the arable land in Varberg is not an exception of this development. The issue is most topical and the discussion holds questions about a declining agricultural sector, the formal and administrative protection of arable land and because other interests of land use often is given higher priority in community development and planning. Varberg is a growing community with a rural landscape and agriculture, often with livestock production close to the city. This structure gives great challenges for society planners, politicians and other policymakers. I would like to give an overview of the public management and governance in Varberg about this topic and also what role concerned actors are given in stages of the planning process. The thesis illuminates how arable land is prescribed within the local government in aspects of the layout plan and how different tools such as legislation, governance and other administration factors are used in planning. Focus lies on those processes, instruments and connections which are central of this management at a community level. I have used a qualitative approach and conducted interviews to collect my data. The analyze is made with the concepts of sustainable development and governance. Governance can be described as methods for interactive management and a development which have led to better interactions between different actors of the society. The thesis shows that there is a basic need of new methods for valuation systems and instruments for protection of fertile arable land in community planning, but also to find new frameworks for dialogue and creation of interactive governance.