"agrinatur.ch makes information accessible in a bundled form"
Voices on biodiversity
Cornelia Kupferschmid is an agronomist and manages the agrinatur.ch web platform at FiBL Switzerland. She also works part-time on an organic vegetable farm. From 2010 to 2013 she worked at FiBL as a consultant in arable farming, where she headed the seed unit.
The measures that promote biodiversity are just as diverse as the topic of biodiversity itself. In Switzerland, a large number of legal requirements apply in the area of biodiversity in agriculture. Maintaining an overview is a challenge. For example, how wide a border can be created on arable land? What requirements must be met for an orchard to achieve quality level II? When can the herbaceous border of a hedge be mowed? Or how long is the commitment period for a rotational fallow?
The agrinatur.ch platform aims to provide answers to these and other questions and make the available information accessible in a convenient, bundled form. This makes it possible for farmers and advisors to quickly look up the information they need in the field, for example.
Legal requirements - and beyond
The twenty-one different types of biodiversity promotion areas (BPAs) are described individually on the website. Requirements from the Direct Payments Ordinance (DZV in German), such as the time of cutting or permitted seed mixtures, are supplemented by fact sheets, videos and further links.
In addition to the creation of BPAs, management measures such as insect-friendly mowing can have an impact on biodiversity. Suggestions on how biodiversity can also be promoted in the field are collected in the "Tips" section. Challenges associated with extensive areas, such as dealing with neophytes, are also discussed there.
Stay up to date with the newsletter
The latest news on biodiversity in agriculture appears on the homepage and is sent out several times a year as a newsletter. Each newsletter takes a closer look at one topic, for example, hedge maintenance, and portrays a suitable plant or animal species. The newsletter is intended to serve as a source of inspiration for practitioners and provide seasonal tips.
Slide collection for teaching and advising
For teaching or advisory activities, FiBL and the Swiss Ornithological Institute have produced presentations (in PowerPoint and PDF format) that illustrate the topic of biodiversity on the farm in a richly illustrated and condensed form. These are also available on agrinatur.ch.
The website is based on the contents of two reference works, Agridea's "Guide to the Promotion of Biodiversity" and the "Handbook on Biodiversity on Farms", which is co-published by FiBL. The latter is currently being revised and is expected to be published in autumn 2025.
The agrinatur.ch platform is a collaboration between FiBL, the Swiss Ornithological Institute and Agridea. This makes it possible to optimally integrate expertise from nature conservation, science and agricultural practice.
Further information
Contact
Links (in German and French)
- agrinatur.ch: Agrinatur website
- agrinatur.ch: Newsletter registration
- agrinatur.ch: Slider collection
- agrinatur.ch: Manual