"Today in the service of organic agriculture, tomorrow for the benefit of all"

Urs Brändli has been President of Bio Suisse, the umbrella organisation of Swiss organic farmers, since 2011. He is also a member of the Foundation Council of FiBL Switzerland. For 30 years he ran an organic dairy farm in Goldingen in the canton of St Gallen, which he handed over to the next generation in 2015.

As an active organic farmer, I got to know FiBL about 20 years ago. We were involved in the "ProQ" project, the aim of which was reduce the use of antibiotics in dairy cows. A few years later, we were also involved in "Feed no Food", a project that made me realise that the use of concentrated feed in organic milk production is neither efficient nor economically viable. Both projects are examples of how FiBL recognises and tackles challenges of our modern society at an early stage.

Something I consider particularly valuable is that research results are not coming from just one or two model or research farms. Rather, there is a network of several hundred farms which participate in the projects if required. In perhaps the world's largest experimental agricultural laboratory, Swiss agriculture is represented in all its diversity, in terms of both farms and regions.

Including many farms has further advantages. During the project phase, new findings are already being tested and applied in practice. Through the exchange with neighbours and colleagues, new knowledge is disseminated long before the project results are published. 

FiBL's versatility is unique and extremely valuable for organic farms in Switzerland and neighbouring countries. Organic farming thrives on taking the whole farm operation into account and strives for closed cycles. Researchers therefore need to include and consider a wide range of factors such as the existing infrastructure, topographical and climatic conditions and, last but not least, the social fabric on the farms. This interdisciplinary cooperation between different experts in one institute is a great strength of FiBL.

FiBL has made a significant contribution to the success story of organic agriculture. Scientific studies have proven the effectiveness of organic methods. Whereas organic farming was often portrayed as an esoteric system in the past, hardly anyone doubts its seriousness today. In countless research projects and field trials, solutions have been found to the problems and challenges faced on organic farms. A large number of technical guides and other publications are freely available and help to bring the scientific findings into the everyday life of farmers.  

As President of Bio Suisse, I expect the organic movement to continue to do pioneering work and to seek answers to the challenges facing our society. We know, for example, the dangers presented by the increasing drug resistance. We know that animal nutrition must compete less and less with human nutrition and that food production must use fewer resources. FiBL is consistently seeking solutions to these challenges and many others, together with organic farms in perhaps the largest and certainly the most diverse agronomic research network in the world. Today in the service of organic agriculture, tomorrow for the benefit of all – thank you, FiBL!