Photo: Elima Mwinyipembe
Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife, Clément Gignac, in Sweden
On Thursday 26 January, Minister for Rural Affairs Eskil Erlandsson met his colleague Clément Gignac, Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife of the province of Quebec in Canada. The meeting was a follow-up to Mr Erlandsson's trip to Canada in autumn 2011.
Photo: Anna-Karin Nyman
Inspiration for New York from Sweden, the culinary nation
On Sunday, Minister for Rural Affairs Eskil Erlandsson will arrive in New York. During his visit, Mr Erlandsson hopes to inspire the residents of New York with Swedish cuisine. The term covers everything from coffee and cake to nutritious school food.
Photo: Eddie Granlund/Johnér
The Forest Kingdom gets a helping hand from Canada
Today, Tuesday, the minister responsible for forests, Minister for Rural Affairs Eskil Erlandsson, will travel to Canada to seek knowledge and find inspiration for the Government's new project 'The Forest Kingdom'. The objective is to create more and new jobs in Sweden based on the country's forests.
Two new brochures on forests
Two brochures on Sweden's forests have been published in English in the past week. 'Competitiveness requires gender equality' is the English translation of the Government's gender equality strategy for the forestry sector. The gender equality strategy is limited to the forestry sector and has three focus areas: education, working life and private forest ownership.
The second brochure is a translation of the Government's action plan 'Sweden - the Forest Kingdom'. The Forest Kingdom is the Government's vision for creating new job opportunities in connection with Sweden's forests.
Sweden - a culinary nation for the future
Chef Viktor Westerlind, member of the Swedish National Culinary Team preparing dinner. Photo: Hanna Eriksson
The culinary nation of the future 2020 and gastronomic regions were the focus of the conference on 'Sweden - a new culinary nation' that was arranged for the second year running on Öland on 28-29 September 2011. Over 160 food enthusiasts from the private and public sector took part.
Magnus Kindbom to open seminar on World Food Day, 14 October
On Friday 14 October 2011, a seminar will be held at the Government Offices to mark World Food Day. This year's theme is 'Food Prices - From Crisis to Stability', which focuses on the recent heavy price fluctuations on the food market, their underlying causes and the impact they have.
The seminar will be opened by State Secretary Magnus Kindbom, who is also chair of the Swedish FAO Committee.
Photo: Eddie Granlund/Johnér
Eskil Erlandsson presented action plan for the Forest Kingdom
In the spring, Minister for Rural Affairs Eskil Erlandsson launched his vision of `The Forest Kingdom - with values for the world'.
At a press conference on Tuesday 9 August, the next stage of the vision was presented - an action plan for work over the coming years.
"The action plan will be our roadmap for work over the coming years and I hope that it will help to make us even better at making use of the many values embodied by our forests," says Mr Erlandsson.
Standpoints on EU's future Fisheries Partnership Agreements identified
Robert Andrén
On Friday 13 May EU Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki invited EU fisheries ministers to a meeting with ministers of countries with which the EU has Fisheries Partnership Agreements (FPA). The purpose of the meeting was to identify standpoints on current agreements and record what should be improved in the imminent reform of EU fisheries policy. Sweden was represented by Robert Andrén, Deputy Director-General at the Ministry for Rural Affairs.
Photo: ©FAO/P C Zietsman
Foreign Land Investments in Developing Countries - Contribution or Threat to Sustainable Development?
The seventh discussion paper from the Swedish FAO Committee looks at the issue of foreign land investments in developing countries. Various authors present their view of the issue and of the consequences of ever greater numbers of foreign investors looking primarily to developing countries to consolidate their food security and forest raw materials.
Minister for Rural Affairs participates in state visit to Botswana
Minister for Rural Affairs Eskil Erlandsson is a member of the official delegation accompanying King Carl XVI Gustaf on a state visit to Botswana on 21-25 March.
During the visit, Mr Erlandsson will examine rural tourism in the country. The tourism sector has increased significantly over the past decade, with average annual growth of 13.7 per cent. The number of tourists visiting the country has quadrupled in 10 years. Wild animals and nature are the main attractions.
In the Government's vision 'Sweden - the new culinary nation' many of the projects are about creating jobs and growth in rural areas. It includes everything from food production and Swedish raw materials to nature experiences and peripheral activities such as tourism, wilderness, accommodation and experiences in the countryside.
"It is exciting to see how Botswana has succeeded in attracting so much interest in its wildlife and nature, something I believe we can also do in Sweden. We must use our nature without using it up, which is something that Botswana has succeeded with during the establishment of this sector," says Minister for Rural Affairs Eskil Erlandsson.
