Mark och försörjning. Befolkning och markutnyttjande i västra Småiand 1800–1850

Abstract

The aim of this article is to study the propensity for the sub-division offarms in Sweden in areas with differing natural conditions, either for specialising in cultivation and corn production on the one hand or for combining agriculture with various subsidiary occupations on the other. The question is whether the increased importance of corn production led to a concentration of landholdings into larger units in the plains studied, and whether the opportunities for subsidiary industries led farmers in forested tracts to sub-divide their holdings. The propensity to sub-divide farms is also studied from the standpoint of land ownership and the significance of increased owner-occupation in terms of the desire of farmers to divide their holdings.