The ministry was responsible for matters relating to rural areas, food and land- and water-based industries, regional development, transport and infrastructure, housing, and community planning.
[6] According to the royal decree of 31 March 1900, with amendments on 30 January 1903, and 30 September 1904, this department was responsible for matters related to agriculture, farming, handicrafts, forestry, along with the associated educational institutions, as well as hunting and fishing.
It included the crown's immovable property, which was not held with a stipulated right of residence or allocated for a specific state purpose, and therefore either leased for immediate use or placed under the care of a special government authority.
The department oversaw veterinary services and animal diseases, state stud farming, and the improvement of horse breeding.
It also managed fisheries, stud farming, horse breeding, the civilian veterinary service, homeownership programs, agricultural credit operations, and cooperative movements.
It was responsible for the application of water laws and regulations on property rights and restrictions on land acquisition, along with matters related to the Sámi people.
[1] In the 1950s, the ministry was divided into two main departments: one under the state secretary and the other under the director general for administrative affairs.
[17][18] In 1010, among other things, the following central boards and agencies (centrala ämbetsverk) belonged to the ministry: Royal Swedish General Land Survey Office (Rikets generallandtmäterikontor), National Swedish Land Survey Board with the land surveying service (lantmäteristaten); National Swedish Board of Horse-Breeding (Stuteriöverstyrelsen) with the Stud Commission (stuterikommissionen) and the stud service (stuteristaten); Geological Survey of Sweden; National [Swedish] Board of Crown Forests and Lands (Domänstyrelsen) with the forestry service, forestry schools and the Superintendents of Crown Lands and Forests (domänintendenter): National [Swedish] Board of Agriculture (Lantbruksstyrelsen) with national agricultural engineers (statens lantbruksingenjörer), instructors, the Fisheries Administration (fiskeriadministrationen), and the Central Institution for the experimental system in the field of agriculture (Centralanstalten för försöksväsendet på jordbruksområdet) as well as the agricultural teaching institutions; Hydrographic Bureau (Hydrografiska byrån); veterinary schools; Commission for the Geographical Survey (Kommissionen för de allmänna kartarbetena); Geographical Survey Office of Sweden (Rikets allmänna kartverk); agricultural societies (hushållningssällskapen); the chemical stations and the seed testing stations (frökontrollanstalterna); county veterinarians; Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture.