Sustenance

Self-sufficiency is the domestic production of products based on total consumption of the products as a percentage.

It is the ratio of consumption to gross domestic production. Under consumption any exploitation of a product is understood in Germany. The gross domestic production describes the amount of product produced domestically.

A state of self-sufficiency of (at least) 100 % is referred to as self-sufficiency. The economic policy of mercantilism led to an increase in the self-sufficiency of the European economies, free trade to a reduction.

The term self-sufficiency rate applies in particular to agricultural products and raw materials use. The EU's Common Agricultural Policy has identified energy security as one of the objectives and thus names the Community preference, a preference for products produced in the EU to increase the self-sufficiency as one of the principles on these matters.

Switzerland

The self-sufficiency rate of domestic agricultural production is (2007) 58.5 percent today. This is an average of the self -sufficiency in animal production of 94 percent and crop production by 45 percent. The current self-sufficiency rate is calculated with a daily per capita consumption of 3,363 calories.

Development of self-sufficiency in Switzerland ( moderate calorie content in percent):

During the Second World War, the self-sufficiency of the area enclosed by the warring parties Switzerland was increased with the plan options to preserve the Swiss population and the 300,000 refugees from hunger and too great privations. After the Second World War agriculture was greatly intensified in order to supply the grown of 4.7 to 7.5 million 1950-2004 population.