Future strategies for a dynamic agriculture in French-speaking Switzerland

Agriculture in Western Switzerland is characterised by its broad diversity. For the purposes of this study, Western Switzerland comprises the cantons in which French is spoken (Vaud, Geneva, Neuchâtel, Valais, Fribourg, Jura) and the Bernese Jura region. The aim is to develop global future strategies for this agriculture. In a participatory process with the actors involved, the current situation of the agri-food sector was first analysed in order to generate action strategies for the future positioning of French-speaking Switzerland’s agricultural organisation AGORA. On just four of the 20 case-study farms will agricultural income rise by 2022, and only then with a strategy of expanding farmland and without milk production. A continuation of the current situation with no change (status quo) would mean a deterioration in financial circumstances for the 20 farms. Strategic planning, including investment planning, is therefore very important and should be promoted more in the future. Although French-speaking Switzerland has well-developed and well-established regional products (e.g. AOP/IGP) and value chains, the orientation of production and processing could be more closely aligned with consumer needs and producers integrated to a greater extent and more deeply into the value chains, especially in the industrial milk sector.