 Areas of responsibility have included agriculture and environmental issues relating to agriculture, fishery, reindeer husbandry, Sami affairs, horticulture, animal welfare, foodstuffs, hunting and game management, as well as higher education and research in the field of agricultural sciences.The ministry was formed in 1900 as the first new ministry after the departemental reform of 1840.Originally named "Ministry of Agriculture" (), it changed its name to the "Ministry for Rural Affairs" on January 1, 2011.