During World War Two, Switzerland was not involved in any military fighting or battles. Nevertheless, the Swiss government had to ensure the stability of food production to be able to feed the population of Switzerland, surrounded by fighting countries. Most of the transport routes for importing goods into the country were blocked by combative countries and Switzerland did not have access to any seaport free of war. The Agricultural Battle was a national program to cultivate fields which had the goal to increase inland production of agricultural goods and therefore, secure the supply of food of Switzerland. Switzerland was supposed to become independent from foreign countries in the food production. The Agricultural Battle touched on the entire country and became the symbol of the Swiss resistance and freedom. With the help of materials found in local archives, Samedan, a small town in the south-eastern Alps of Switzerland, will be taken as example for the battle against hunger and looked at in detail. The interplay of the roles of the federal, the cantonal and the local government with the roles of the local population is being elaborated and analyzed. The duties of the town, dictated by the federal and the cantonal governments, the planning and elaborations of projects within the town and their execution through the politicians and the population, especially the farmers, will be portrayed and examined. The goal of this Diploma thesis is to look at the great myth of the Agricultural Battle with a local perspective and to transport it into a real past and therefore, reappraise a part of the local history. The community of Samedan has endured hard work to serve the country which should also be mentioned in this thesis. |