Switzerland Cultivation Battle (b/w photo)

MILESTINES CATALOGUE - A farmer sharpens his scythe during the corn harvest in St. Gingolph in the canton of Valais, Switzerland, pictured in 1944. The aim of the so-called “Cultivation Battle”, which began with the “Project Elections” in November 1940, is to secure food provisions in Switzerland during World War II. By converting meadows into fields, by clearing and melioration it is possible to expand the arable land. The target of a triplication however, will be missed. Yet the benefits of the “Cultivation Battle” have a further reach than securing food supplies. It encourages social integration during the war and marks the beginning of a new agricultural policy to modernize and streamline the Swiss agriculture.