The team of FiBL France. From left to right: Laurène Fito, Martin Trouillard, Elina Harinck, Florence Arsonneau, Mathilde Chomel, Tanguy Balanant, Michel Bouy, Caroline Constancis. (Photo: FiBL)
FiBL France was founded in 2017 with the aim of working for organic farming in the Drôme department and throughout France - in addition to the existing structures for research and agricultural development in France. One of the main objectives is to carry out field trials in collaboration with farmers directly on their farms. The trials are designed to provide practical solutions for the development of organic farming.
FiBL France is an association established under French law (Law 1901). The board consists of FiBL employees and a member of ITAB, the technical institute for organic agriculture. Both institutions and any interested private individuals can become members of the association and support the activities of FiBL France.
Location
FiBL France is based in the Drôme department in the southeast of France. The Drôme department is located at the foot of the Alps and it is the department with the largest proportion of organically farmed areas in France, with more than 20 percent. The department is also known as "little France" because its climate and its landscape, characterised by plains and mountains, enable a very diverse agricultural production.
The laboratory and offices of FiBL France are located at the Pôle Bio in the Écosite in Eurre. The Pôle Bio is a building that houses various institutions involved in agricultural development, such as Agribiodrôme (the network of the National Federation of Organic Agriculture, FNAB), which promotes and facilitates cooperation. The laboratory is equipped to carry out research in the immediate vicinity of the field trials.
Collaboration
The FiBL France team currently employs seven people. The French team works together with other experts of the FiBL group in order to deal with a wide range of topics and develop numerous projects.
The following employees of FiBL Switzerland are particularly involved in the activities of FiBL France:
- Raphaël Charles (Arable crops)
- Véronique Chevillat (Biodiversity)
- Jacques Fuchs (Soil health and compost)
- Henryk Luka (Functional biodiversity)
- Thomas Oberhänsli (Molecular biology)
- Hans-Jakob Schärer (Plant protection and phytopathology)
- Nathaniel Schmid (Extension and communication)
Further information
Contact
Florence Arsonneau, Head of FiBL France