ams, which in previous decades had been built over. Every effort is made tobalance the demands of the various interest groups to ensure the countryside retains itsdiversity, and to avoid irreparable damage to the habitats of plants and animals.AgricultureThe country of farmers and cows, as many still view Switzerland, has a lower percentageof farmers than most other Western European countries. The size of the average farm is14.5 hectares (36 acres), and in the mountain regions 7 hectares (17 acres). Overall, thenumber of farms is dropping. However, the number of larger farms - those over 20 ha (50acres), and in particular those over 50 ha (125 acres) - is increasing. About 6 percent ofthe working population is employed in agriculture and about one third of food isimported. Three quarters of the farmed area in Switzerland is devoted to meadows andpastures, as both climate and terrain make most of the country unsuitable for crops.Cereals and vegetables are limited to the lowlands. About one third of farms are engagedin crop production. Swiss farmers find themselves facing two opposite demands fromtheir consumers: on the one hand to produce cheap food, and on the other hand toproduce it in an environmentally friendly way. It is not easy to strike a balance betweeneconomic viability and ecology. Many farmers supplement their income by taking onextra jobs, saying they could not survive without them. About one third of farms are nowrun as sidelines, with their owners getting the bulk of their income from another source.Alternatively, they are looking to boost their income with exotic crops, like melons, orunusual animals, like ostriches, yaks, bison or highland cattle, or are putting their farmsto secondary uses, such as offering farmyard holidays or even lama trekking.ForestsWhile there are no enormous forested areas i Switzerland, there are no areas withoutforests either. Deciduous forests (beech and oak) grow at altitudes of up to 1,300 me...
