Swiss Agricultural Research – Archive of the Online Journal

Pedolin D., Jan P., Roesch A., Six J., Nemecek T.

Do farmers who produce in environmentally friendly ways earn less income? As an Agroscope study shows, this needs not be the case, and farmers can actually generate more revenue by protecting the environment.

Agroscope, ETH Zurich

Plant production 13.02.23

Clémence S., Zorn A.

Oats, triticale, hull-less barley, lupin, faba beans and buckwheat are rarely cultivated. The EU project CROPDIVA intends to change that. Agroscope analyses the value chains of four of these crops in order to promote their cultivation and processing.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 07.02.23

Heitkämper K., Reissig L., Glück S., Mann S.

A hoeing and spot-spraying device enables huge savings in the use of plant protection products. Although costs are higher than for conventional plant protection devices, motivated farm managers give this innovative technology genuine prospects for the future.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 02.02.23

Ritzel C., Hoop D., Portmann M., Wallner A. und Mack G.

Thanks to their unique landscapes, the 15 regional nature parks, the majority of which are located in the (pre-)Alps and in the Jura Arc, feature as tourist attractions. But do the parks also provide economic value-added for local agriculture?

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 16.01.23

Anke Möhring

To balance their nutrient cycles, Swiss farms export surplus farmyard manure to farms with free uptake capacities or to composting and anaerobic digestion facilities. Between 2015 and 2020 the volumes of organic manure and recycled fertilisers transported rose significantly, with a consequent increase in transport costs.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 18.11.22

Zimmert F., Zorn A.

Employment in the agricultural sector is declining in many European countries, especially in livestock farming. Direct payments can counter this trend and lead to the employment of more – especially female – family members on the farm.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 19.09.22

Ritzel C., Arbenz A., von Ow A.

Despite the current challenges of e.g. the war in Ukraine and climate change, the Swiss food sector is relatively resilient. This is the conclusion reached by Agroscope’s report on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office for National Economic Supply.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 28.06.22

Ammann J., Ritzel, C., El Benni, N.

The pandemic has influenced not only our everyday life but also our behaviour. Agroscope looked at which population groups and behaviours experienced or underwent particularly significant changes, and what this means for our health.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 02.06.22

Zorn A., Zimmert F.

Swiss dairy farms are more strongly affected by structural change than other farm types. An analysis of the farms exiting the sector or switching focus highlights influencing factors.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 18.05.22

Umstätter C., Mann S. und Werner J.

Previous criteria used to measure social sustainability have their limits in the case of family farms. We propose focusing on workload. Initial results show that this is an easy-to-use and meaningful indicator.

Agroscope, Thünen-Institut, University of Hohenheim

Agricultural economics 12.05.22

El Benni N., Ritzel C., Heitkämper K. und Mack G.

Why do Swiss farmers complain about the administrative burden associated with the direct payments system? Studies conducted by Agroscope show that the issue is not the time required: other factors are more important.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 10.03.22

Reissig L., Stoinescu A., Mack G.

Farmers are increasingly required to communicate electronically with the authorities. This is obligatory regarding the management of direct payments and the livestock census. Agroscope interviewed farmers on their perception of the administrative workload.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 03.03.22

Ammann, J., El Benni, N.

Digitalisation is playing an increasingly important role in agriculture. What knowledge is imparted in the Farm Manager course? An online survey shows where there is a need for expansion.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 22.02.22

Finger R. and El Benni N.

Farms, their risks and various underlying conditions are becoming increasingly complex. Because of this, agricultural income should be considered holistically.

Agroscope, ETH Zurich

Agricultural economics 02.02.22

Ehlers M.-H., Finger R., Huber R.

How is digitalisation changing agriculture and agricultural policy? A European team with the participation of Agroscope, the FOAG and the ETH developed four scenarios from which strategies were derived for the future achievement of agricultural policy goals.

Agroscope, ETH Zurich

Agricultural economics 11.11.21

Hoop D.

Grass-fed milk production meets a customer need, and is linked to specific feed and animal-welfare requirements. An Agroscope study sought to determine the circumstances in which grass-fed milk production is worthwhile.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 05.08.21

Albert von Ow

Agroscope conducts an annual analysis of the risks to food supply on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office for Economic Supply FONES. In 2021, a power shortage, seed imports and climate change were addressed as particular risks.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 29.06.21

Häberli I., Contzen S. and Straub U.

Dairy farmers have developed individual strategies designed to maintain or improve their quality of life. A project by BFH-HAFL collected and analysed a variety of those strategies.

BFH-HAFL, Agridea

Agricultural economics 19.04.21

Ritzel C.

The older the respondents, the better they know and follow the emergency supply recommendations. Experience from the first lockdown can help ensure more stocking-up in future.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 23.03.21

Häberli I. and Contzen S.

In the coming years, farm succession will become a topical issue for many Swiss farming families. However, the process is demanding. A research and development project at BFH-HAFL highlights challenges and presents tools

BFH-HAFL

Agricultural economics 11.03.21

S. Renner and N. El Benni

In order to increase the competitiveness of Swiss milk production, the performance of the farms must be improved. Agroscope shows that the majority of producers work efficiently, but that the differences in productivity are great.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 12.03.20

Zorn A.

The number of farms with a minimum area of 30 ha is growing, and specialisation – particularly in animal production – is on the increase. Even so, structural change is proceeding at a slower pace in Switzerland than in neighbouring countries.

Agroscope

Agricultural economics 2019

Heiniger J., Hochuli A.

Direct marketing in the agricultural sector is becoming increasingly important in Switzerland. Between 2010 and 2016, this business sector recorded an increase of 60 % across Switzerland, measured as the number of farms adopting this form of marketing. A cross-sectional comparison of the Canton of Bern was used to investigate the extent to which the…

Agricultural economics 2019

Binder S., Mann St.

With an agricultural policy that is largely shaped by the Confederation, Switzerland’s federalist structures are only marginally noticeable. Even so, depending on their location, farms can take part in certain cantonal programmes whilst making use of the direct-payment instruments of the Confederation. With the aim of promoting and steering regional agriculture according to local needs,…

Agricultural economics 2019

Fry P., Mettler D., Jakob F., Brugger M., Flückiger E.

As part of a «by farmers to farmers» project, authentic films have been produced and used in the networks in collaboration with a support group from research, administration and practice. In making these films, the «social learning video» method was applied. The purpose of these films is to motivate farmers to implement new regional marketing…

Agricultural economics 2019

Mann S., Stoinescu A., Nüssli S.-M., Spycher L.

Communal alpine pastures are a popular subject for the study of collective economic activity, despite the fact that there is very little empirical material available on which to base this study. In order to create a broader empirical foundation, five alpine pastures were visited whose organisation and economic processes were tracked by means of participatory…

Agricultural economics 2019

Heitkämper K., Lutz J., Stark R.

More and more farm-manager couples plan and discuss everyday tasks on the farm and for the family jointly, in order to achieve greater flexibility in accomplishing their work. The available planning tools and work budgets for work on the farm and in the household are, however, based on different data sources. In some cases, data…

Agricultural economics 2019

Mack G., Heitkämper K., El Benni N.

When it comes to developing recommendations for action for limiting administrative work, knowledge about both the perception of work and the actual work is important. This topic was investigated using the example of the Programme for the Promotion of Grassland-Based Milk and Meat Production (GMMP). A survey of 892 farmers revealed that the perception of…

Agricultural economics 2019

Mann S.

Just 20 years ago, over half of the genetic material for the breeding of Braunvieh cattle was imported – primarily from North America – despite the fact that Switzerland is the genetic centre for Braunvieh. Today, however, the self-sufficiency level for Braunvieh breeding material is just shy of 100 %, and Switzerland has even become…

Agricultural economics 2018

Chandrapalan R., Zorn A., Lips M.

Using cost/performance calculations, the profitability of four para-agricultural activities (contracted work for third parties, direct marketing, tourism and services) is investigated, with labour utilisation, i.e. the resultant hourly wage, serving as a criterion. With a focus on farm activities with a gross performance of between CHF 10,000 and CHF 100,000, there are 2339 observations available…

Archive

Great potential for environmentally friendly and profitable production

From Niche Crop to Mainstream Success

Plant Protection Robots in Vegetable Farming: Labour, Costs, Social Aspects and Ecology

Swiss Parks – an Economic Success Story for Local Farms?

Swiss Farmyard-Manure Market: Transports on the Rise

Direct Payments Bolster Family Employment on the Farm

Swiss Food Security 2022: Current Events and Trends

How Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed our Behaviour?

Swiss Dairy Farming in Transition

How Can the Social Sustainability of Family Farms Be Measured?

Direct Payments System: How to Reduce the Administrative Burden

Why Many Farmers Feel e-Government Services Are an Additional Burden

Digital Technologies in Agricultural Training

Income in Agriculture: a Holistic Analysis is Needed

Scenarios for Agricultural Policy in the Age of Digitalisation

Better Milk Price and Low Basic Ration Costs Make Grass-Fed Milk Cost-Efficient

Increasing Food-Security Challenges Faced by Switzerland

How Dairy Farmers Improve Their Quality of Life

Emergency Supplies Before, During and After the Swiss Confederation’s COVID-19 Measures

Tackling Farm Succession Holistically and at an Early Stage

Swiss Dairy Farms – Economic Performance Potential and Limits

Swiss Farms: Ever-Increasing Size and Specialisation

Direct marketing is widespread among organic farms in the Canton of Bern

How do the cantons support their agricultural sector?

Social learning: videos put across success factors for marketing regional products

Communal alpine pastures: between commons and incentive

Highlighting and planning workload on the farm and in the family

What factors influence the perception of administrative work?

The fall and rise of Swiss Braunvieh Breeding

Profitability of para-agricultural activities