FiBL Germany is a registered non-profit association and provides scientific expertise on current issues in organic farming and food sector. It conducts interdisciplinary and practice-oriented research together with farmers and experts from science and industry. So, knowledge from research is swiftly transferred into practice.
FiBL Germany has currently the following focuses:
- Input List for organic production in Germany: Experts evalute inputs for their compliance with the requirements of organic production in Germany. Approved inputs will be published in the Input List.
- FiBL Academy: Training and further education of young talents, consulting and inspection staff as well as practitioners in the organic food sector is mainly focused. Additionally, FiBL Academy organizes the nationwide Organic Field Days and realize further projects related to organic farming and food industry.
- Value Chains: projects and services relating to setting up of regional value chains - market analyses, networking of stakeholders and development of marketing concepts as well as practical establishment of regional value chains.
- Out-of-home catering: FiBL develops strategic concepts and qualified solutions to put more regional, organically produced food to canteens, refectories, school and day-care kitchens as well as to hospitals and retirement homes.
- Circular livestock farming: In application-oriented projects, current husbandry systems will be assessed together with farms and research institutions and concepts for improving animal welfare will be developed.
- Sustainable farming systems: FiBL focuses on analysing and comparing measures that have potentially positive impacts on land management and environment, and how these should be assessed in the context of sustainability.
Along with the Foundation Ecology & Agriculture (Stiftung Ökologie & Landbau [SÖL]) and the organic associations Bioland, Naturland and Demeter, FiBL Deutschland e. V. is shareholder of FiBL Projekte GmbH. Both (FiBL Germany e.V. and GmbH) currently employs about 75 people. The board of FiBL e.V. consists of 14 persons.
We attach great importance to networking with stakeholders and organisations in the organic sector. FiBL Germany is supporting member of the Federation of Organic Food Producers (Bund Ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft [BÖLW]) and member of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). Furthermore, there are solid cooperations with Office of Food Science & Quality (Büro Lebensmittelkunde & Qualität) and section for Organic Farming and Cropping Systems of University of Kassel and University of Gießen. FiBL Germany is also one of the initiators and founding members of the Association for the Promotion of the Employment of People with Disabilities in Agriculture.