“The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL is a leading research institute in the field of organic agriculture and agroecology based in Switzerland. Characteristic for our work is our participatory research approach with an on-farm research network counting 150+ farms all over Switzerland. This participatory approach is also carried out in our international projects, among others in India, Kenya and Bolivia.

Through close collaboration with farmers and knowledge exchange in our extension activities, new trends, ideas and problems at farm-level or along the sustainable food value chain can be identified quickly and translated into new research and product development projects. FiBL also collaborates closely with institutions in the value chain: manufacturers of primary products (seeds, fertilizers, organic pesticides), farms and cultivation organizations (Bio Suisse), food processors, and retailers (Coop and Migros in Switzerland).

Projects focus on method and product development in organic agriculture, namely variety testing, plant protection, reduced tillage, mixed cropping and quality improvement in arable crops, vegetables, fruits and viticulture, as well as animal welfare, health, husbandry, feeding systems and breeding in dairy cows, pigs, laying hens and sheep. On many farms we are working also to increase biodiversity at farm and landscape level.”