jordberedningen

Jordberedningen is a historical Swedish term used for government inquiries or commissions tasked with evaluating land and soil-related matters and proposing administrative or legislative reforms. The exact mandate and duration of such bodies varied over time and between ministries, but they commonly addressed issues related to soil quality, land use, drainage, and agricultural policy.

The work of jordberedningen typically involved field surveys, compilation of maps and data, hearings with stakeholders, and the preparation of reports and recommendations. Members were often drawn from civil servants, agronomists or soil scientists, and representatives of landowners, farmers’ organizations, and local authorities. The aim was to create informed bases for reforms in land tenure, taxation, drainage projects, and the organization of rural administration, with the reports sometimes leading to new laws or administrative practices.

In practice, jordberedningen contributed to the modernization of Sweden’s agricultural and rural policy during periods of reform. While the specific bodies were dissolved or merged into newer agencies as administration evolved, the term remains part of historical discourse on land policy and is encountered in archival records and studies of Swedish agricultural history.