Researchers from FiBL and Agroscope recently published an article entitled "Fodder trees: a supplementary forage resource for livestock" in Swiss Agricultural Research. Swiss Agricultural Research is an open access publication produced by Agroscope, the Agridea advisory centre, FiBL Switzerland and the School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (HAFL).

Agroecology continues to gain traction around the world as a way of farming that supports life rather than destroys it. The first issue of Rooted magazine shares insights on how agroecology can be enabled through policy, and how that policy can be created.

La Suisse compte 30 espèces de rosiers sauvages. Grâce à leurs branches épineuses, ils constituent un élément de grande valeur des haies et offrent un habitat important à de nombreux animaux. En particulier, les cynorrhodons sont une ressource précieuse pour l'homme et la nature.

Dans cette vidéo, Anne-Claude Jacquat de Proconseil présente les surfaces de promotion de la biodiversité (SPB) sur terres assolées telles les jachères et les bandes fleuries. Ces surfaces offrent des avantages écologiques et agronomiques. La mise en place des SPB doit être réfléchie à l'échelle du paysage pour créer des...

Les bandes semées pour organismes utiles dans les vignobles ont un grand potentiel pour offrir un habitat aux plantes, oiseaux, mammifères, reptiles, insectes, araignées, acariens et autres organismes. Cette fiche technique a pour but d'aider les viticulteur-trice-s dans l'installation et l'entretien de bandes semées pour organismes utiles dans les interlignes...

Les ourlets permettent à la nature de déployer ses richesses sur plusieurs années. Au fil des saisons, les fleurs et les graminées poussent, fleurissent et se fanent. Les animaux peuvent ainsi accomplir leur cycle de vie et trouver nourriture et protection. En tant qu’éléments linéaires, les ourlets sont particulièrement adaptés pour relier les milieux naturels...

Euromontana kicks off the year with the publication of its annual booklet of good practices for sustainable mountain development. This publication showcases 10 inspiring initiatives from across Europe (EU and non-EU) collected by Euromontana throughout 2023 to promote initiatives that drive sustainable change in mountain areas. The booklet covers key issues for...

People are increasingly alienated from their food, not to mention from the complex system that determines what ends up on our plates. And government policy generally fails to address the problems with our current food system, let alone facilitate the emergence of agroecological solutions. So, what happens when people are...

These voices will share their perspectives on FiBL and talk about their relationship with the institute. This time, it is Maya Graf's turn. She is a politician, social worker and co-owner of her family's organic farm in Sissach in the canton of Baselland. In 2001, she moved into the Swiss National...

This article examines how social innovations influence the economic growth orientation of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in mountain regions. Social innovations can help mountain regions solve local challenges by creating novel ideas to improve the situation. This, in turn, can have various effects on the mountain economy. However, there...

By taking part in the survey, people working in the agricultural practice can contribute their experiences to the project. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Every voice counts: Practical experience is essential when it comes to further developing digital tools. All businesses interested in the topic of ecology...

Tomato is a special case among vegetables, as its seeds can only be extracted from the pulp after a fermentation step. In order to optimise this working process, various harvesting frequencies and extraction timepoints were tested at FiBL Switzerland. The availability of organic seed has come into focus, as derogations to...

Fruit growers have to deal with a lot of hazards in terms of climate change or phytosanitary constraints which is why many seek to diversify their farms.

Different agri-environmental schemes (AES), such as ecological focus areas and organic farming, have been suggested to reduce the impact of intensive agriculture on the environment and to conserve or even restore farmland biodiversity. However, the effectiveness of such schemes, their ability to actually support biodiversity and associated trade-offs with agricultural...

Ce recueil de fiches pratiques présente des aménagements simples à mettre en place dans les exploitations agricoles pour favoriser la biodiversité. Chaque fiche décrit une structure (tas de sable, tas de branches, haies, arbres isolés, etc.), son rôle écologique, les matériaux nécessaires, les espèces ciblées et les conseils d’entretien. Ces...

The International Summer School is a collaboration between Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW)'s research group Geography of Food, the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), the Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (ÖMKi), and research institutes in Spain and Slovenia. In this International Summer School, you will learn about various perspectives on agrobiodiversity and its contribution...

Organic farming aims to close nutrient cycles, maintain soil fertility, and robust and healthy plants and animals with resilient performance. Moreover, in organic farming, a lot of effective substances are banned, or their use is restricted, and treatments are only acceptable if their active substances are included in the positive...

FiBL turns 50! On the 1st of February 1973 the Swiss Foundation for the Promotion of Organic Agriculture (Schweizerische Stiftung zur Förderung des biologischen Landbaus) was established, thus laying the foundations for FiBL. It’s an occasion to take a look back: Browse through our image gallery on FiBL's history from...

FiBL biodiversity expert Lukas Pfiffner has updated the factsheet on the effects of production and cultivation systems on biological diversity. The publication is available for download free of charge in the FiBL Shop. To promote species diversity is one of the principles of organic farming. Do scientific studies on actual farms...

FiBL turns 50! On the 1st of February 1973 the Swiss Foundation for the Promotion of Organic Agriculture (Schweizerische Stiftung zur Förderung des biologischen Landbaus) was established, thus laying the foundations for FiBL. It’s an occasion to take a look back: Browse through our image gallery on FiBL's history from...