Jordbruksgård

Jordbruksgård is a Swedish term that describes a cultivated land area together with the buildings and facilities used for agricultural production. Literally translated it means "farm estate" or "agricultural yard". The word is commonly found in legal, cadastral and administrative documents in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, where it distinguishes a parcel of land that is actively farmed from other types of property such as forests or residential lots.

A typical jordbruksgård contains arable fields, pasture, barns, stables, storage sheds, and sometimes a farmhouse. The estate is usually managed for crop production, livestock keeping, or a combination of both. In the Swedish land register the jordbruksgård classification is applied to classify the land use and to determine tax rates and subsidies. The term can also be used to describe a small family farm or a larger commercial operation, depending on the size and scale of the activity.

Historically, jordbruksgårdar played an important role in the agrarian economy of Scandinavia. Under the agrarian reform of the 18th and 19th centuries large estates were divided into smaller jordbruksgårdar to allow more families to own and farm land. This led to a more diversified agricultural sector and the development of rural communities.

In contemporary usage the word is sometimes used interchangeably with “gård”, but jordbruksgård retains a legal connotation. It is often used in the context of zoning, land‑use planning, and agricultural subsidies. Although the term is primarily Swedish, its use can be found in other Nordic languages with similar meanings. The concept reflects the integration of land, buildings and productive activity that characterizes modern farming practices.