Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Swiss farmers: between tradition and modernity

Swiss photographer Markus Bühler-Rasom’s idea was to portray Swiss agriculture as it currently exists. The resulting photos depict on the one hand the technical, unemotional production process. On the other, they reflect Swiss farmers’ dignity, pride and devotion to their homeland.

Swiss agriculture isn’t easy to classify. There is the romantic, traditional notion of a Switzerland populated by freedom-loving, independent farmers. At the same time, domestic agriculture is often ridiculed by more urbane citizens who view it in terms of tourist attractions, folklore, inefficiency, subventions and myths.

This duality is also reflected in Bühler-Rasom’s photographs. What is special about them is that they go beyond stereotypes. His goal was to take an inventory of Swiss farming; he studied the subject over a period of years with the devotion of a researcher. “I want to know what it’s like,” he says simply.

(Images: Markus Bühler-Rasom; Text: Peter Siegenthaler, swissinfo.ch)

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR