Ten farmers from the cantons of Vaud and Fribourg have been selected to be part of the Swiss Living Lab (LL). After an initial discussion about the farming system operated by each participant, the farmers will choose their areas of work among: weed management, crop nutrition and crop establishment. Within these specific topics, they will build an agronomic strategy to meet their goals of optimizing inputs or redesigning the cropping system using agroecological levers.
On the 15th of November 2024 an information event on the SIMONE project was organized for interested farmers in collaboration with the cantonal authorities. Fourteen farmers attended the meeting. Based on this, ten farmers were selected to participate in the Swiss LL for the SIMONE project. They are all situated in the French speaking part of Switzerland. Four farmers are located in the canton of Vaud and six farmers in the canton of Fribourg. Seven farmers are running a farm with livestock, mainly with cows but also with pigs, and three farmers grow only arable crops.
Agricultural labels
Furthermore, Switzerland has a special history of agricultural labels, and more specifically of sustainable production methods.
- The main label is linked to integrated protection, known as ‘IP-Suisse’, and has been used by 21% of Swiss farmers for over 30 years.
- The second label is linked to organic farming and represents 16% of the country's farmers. The brand associated with this production method is ‘BioSuisse’, which has developed its own specifications that go beyond the European specifications for organic farming.
Within the Swiss LL most of the farmers are labelled “IP-Suisse” and two are labelled “Bio-Suisse”. This diversity of specifications will enable us to explore, through different objectives, the agroecological levers that can be implemented in this diversity of production methods, adapted to the specific objectives of the partners.
Co-creation workshop
At the moment, Sébastien Galland, the LL manager, is visiting each farmer individually in order to get to know the participants of the project, understand the farming system and the related issues.
On the 4th of February 2025 a co-creation workshop is organized for all participants with the goal to discuss individual problems and corresponding agroecological methods to be implemented and tested in the framework of the SIMONE project. Different farmers have already shown a strong interest in improving nitrogen fertilization, but also mechanical weeding or the reduction of tillage.
The involvement of actors and stakeholders will be addressed later on in 2025 based on the crops and issues farmers wish to work on and the main external partners of the farmers in the LL.
More info
Contact Sébastien Galland, responsible of the Swiss LL