Farming without animals? The outlook for Biocyclic Vegan Agriculture as an alternative approach to food production in Sweden

Abstract: Conventional agriculture and animal husbandry are leading causes of greenhouse gas emissions,environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss. Biocyclic Vegan Agriculture (BVA) is an approach that aims to address the concerns of modern agriculture and provide a sustainable and ethical alternative. Through the heuristic lens of the Multi-Level Perspective, where BVA serves as a potential niche, this study analyzes barriers and opportunities for BVA to break through the socio-technical agricultural regime in Sweden. After interviewing biocyclic vegan farmers and hobby growers, conducting an online survey, and reviewing policy, the findings show that: BVA struggles to solidify as a niche in Sweden, partly due to a failure to expand the network, current shared beliefs on veganism are largely negative, to the point of farmers downplaying the vegan aspect, vegan consumers are generally unaware of but open towards BVA products, and future EU policy prioritizes aspects found in BVA.