The role of agriculture in a sustainable energy system – The farmers’ perspective

Agriculture plays a pivotal role in the sustainable transition. The current trend within the agricultural sector is that actors are often suppliers of energy. This places the farmer in the intersection between the agricultural and energy systems. The present study assesses the farmers’ role to be part of the transition toward a sustainable agricultural and energy system. Departing from socio-technical theory, it puts the emphasis on the farmer as an actor within the systems. Designed as a case study in Östergötland, Sweden, interviews were conducted with eleven farmers for their perspectives on the sustainable energy system transition and analyzed through Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Funding and the financial aspects of investing in renewable energy sources was seen as crucial. Simultaneously, institutional support was experienced as cumbersome and complicated. Long-term, reliable institutional support for farmers was emphasized and shows the need for policymakers and researchers to further investigate the agricultural energy system and the intersection of the systems. Further analysis showed that the motivation for institutional support is to foster resilience, self-sufficiency and safeguard against uncertainties. Glimpses of tensions within the current agriculture and energy system regimes could be seen and the study suggests that landscape changes related to the energy system can drive niche development and implementation of renewable energy sources. • Perspective of farmers in the transitioning agricultural and energy system. • Institutional support is complex, requiring expertise in several fields. • Signs of landscape changes driving niche development and implementation. • Motive behind investing in on-farm renewable energy sources is to build self-sufficiency. • Uncertain conditions in institutional support are detrimental to on-farm RES.