In 2019, the utilised agricultural area mainly comprised natural meadows and pastures (605,700 ha or 58% of the UAA). Arable farming was practised on 398,800 hectares (38% of the UAA). The rest of the land (38,200 ha, 4% of the UAA) consisted of vineyards (13,400 ha) and orchards (7,000 ha), among other things.
Crops were grown differently in 2019, with the cultivated area for wheat (73,600 ha) falling by 2.8% and for sugar beet decreasing by a further 1,000 hectares, to 17,600 hectares in 2019. The cultivated area for vegetables also declined (11,900 ha, -2.1%) after several years of growth, whereas the area dedicated to sunflowers increased in 2019 (5,900 ha, +9.6%). The cultivated areas for oats (1,700 ha, +5.2%) and spelt (5,700 ha, +6%) showed particularly strong growth. Some niche crops such as millet, sorghum, hemp and lentils also gained ground.
In the meantime, organic farming has become a firm fixture of Swiss agriculture and is practised on 16% of farmland. Organically cultivated farmland accounts for 21% of vegetables, 29% of pulses and 10% of vines. Sugar beets, however, are not well represented at only 1%.