Disposable incomes, as well as earnings, of Swedish agricultural households have increased faster than for households in the general Swedish population irrespectively of the size of the farm, the region where it is located, and the type of production it has engaged in (Farmers’ earnings and disposable incomes for Sweden in 1997-2012. AgriFood Working Paper 2017:3).
Despite this favourable development, income inequality and poverty among agricultural households could still have increased. In the present study we, therefore, analyse how income inequality and poverty have changed among Swedish agricultural households over time in comparison to the general population. A large income inequality or a large share of poor households in a sector could have negative effects on the incentives to invest and otherwise engage in entrepreneurial activities in that sector which, in turn would reduce its competitiveness.
The project will be finished in spring 2018.