Through a network of 1500 demonstration farms, the project fosters the exchange of experiences among farmers across Europe. 4,500 demonstration events are planned in 28 European countries over the next five years. Switzerland is represented in the project by the Swiss agricultural extension center for cantonal extension services Agridea, the Swiss Advisory Forum, and FiBL Switzerland. Pascal Python and Marie Rus from Agridea are coordinating the Swiss network of 25 demonstration farms along with the Swiss Advisory Forum. The first events are scheduled for this year.
As part of Climate Farm Demo, Lin Bautze, Adrian Müller and Markus Steffens from FiBL are compiling a list of the most important climate measures and assessing their effectiveness and costs. Thomas Alföldi, also from FiBL, creates short videos of the demonstration events in Switzerland and abroad to acquaint interested farmers with the presented climate solutions.
A series of four videos from Switzerland is already available. They were produced during demonstration events organised by ProBio, an initiative of Bio Suisse and FiBL. Versions in both German and English are available on the Climate Farm Demo YouTube channel.
- In the first video, Silvan and Stefan Schreiber share their experiences with the mob grazing system, which they adopted on their farm in lieu of the previous short grass system due to escalating drought and heavy rainfall. Advisor Leandra Guindry outlines the advantages and disadvantages of the system.
- In the second video, Meinrad and Ramon Betschart provide a tour of their two-hectare agroforestry system featuring standard fruit trees, species of timber, hedges and pastures. Agroforestry expert Mareike Jäger discusses various agroforestry approaches, their climate-related benefits and potential financing programmes.
- Another approach to water management, the keyline design system, is presented in the third video. Farmer Markus Schwegler and advisor Katja Degonda introduce this new system and have been providing updates on its implementation on the Katzhof farm since spring 2023.
- The fourth video focuses on holistic water management in vegetable production. Lukas van Puijenbroek integrates keylines with an agroforestry system and stores water in a pond, which also functions as a biotope and retention basin.
The Climate Farm Demo project is coordinated by the French Institute of Animal Husbandry (IDELE) and will run until 2029. Swiss participation is funded by the State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation (SERI). Additional information is accessible on the website (see link below).
Further information
Contact
Links
- youtube.com: Video "Mob Grazing: Adapting pasture management to improve drought resistance"
- youtube.com: Video "Agroforestry systems - planning, planting and financing"
- youtube.com: Video "Climate-Smart Farming - Keyline Design & Water Management"
- youtube.com: Video "Keyline Design and agroforestry on the Aebleten farm"
- youtube.com: Video "Demos on climate-smart agriculture – The Climate Farm Demo project at a glance"
- climatefarmdemo.eu: Project website
- probio.bioaktuell.ch: Probio website