Initiierung von betriebsübergreifendem Unternehmertum am Beispiel der Initiative „BioRegio Zentralschweiz“

Since agricultural markets become increasingly liberalised, the importance of entrepreneurship in agriculture increases. A number of internal and external factors related to farm management impede currently the diffusion of entrepreneurial skills. The initiative ‘BioRegio Zentralschweiz’ encourages organic farmers in the region Central Switzerland to start their own added-value projects by providing a common service and a logistic platform for members. Experiences of this initiative show that farmers need to be guided and supported by external consultants particularly in the pre-start-phase of such a project

Participative Decision Mechanisms for Sustainable Development in Co-Operative Livestock Systems in Europe

Alpine pastures have been used for centuries and have a specific economic, ecological and cultural history that gives local identity. Alpine pastures, used only in summer, are endangered due to modern farming methods and economic conditions. The consequences include loss of biodiversity, traditionally used landscapes and socio-cultural identity in marginal regions (Riseth et al., 2003). As the Entlebuch UNESCO Biosphere Reserve was established by its inhabitants in a participative process, sustainable development in alpine pastures is also implemented by stakeholder participation. The methodology of participative decision mechanisms were used in two EU-projects: LACOPE: Landscape development, Biodiversity and Co-operative Livestock Systems in Europe, developing references for sustainable development in marginal regions and VisuLANDS: Visualisations Tools for Public Participation in the Management of Landscape Change. The main objective was to improve participative decision mechanisms using visualisation tools

Lebensmittel-Konversionseffizienz von stall- und weidebasierten Milchproduktionssystemen

In einer dreijährigen Schweizer Systemstudie wurden die Milchproduktionssysteme Stall- (SH) und Vollweidehaltung (VW) auf einem geteilten Versuchsbetrieb hinsichtlich produktionstechnischer, ökonomischer und ökologischer Aspekte verglichen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden darauf aufbauend die Milchproduktionssysteme SH und VW hinsichtlich ihres Beitrags zur Netto-Lebensmittelversorgung untersucht. Je nach Berücksichtigung an für den Menschen verwertbaren Nährstoffen in den Futtermitteln produzierte das System VW über die tierischen Produkte zwischen 6,6 bis 11,2 mal mehr für den Menschen verwertbares Protein und 3,5 bis 6,6 mal mehr verwertbare Energie als die Tiere über das eingesetzte Futter verbrauchten. Für das SH-System waren diese Faktoren deutlich niedriger, aber immer noch in einem positiven Bereich (1,0 bis 2,5 für das Protein und 0,9 bis 1,9 für die Energie). Darüber hinaus war die Proteinqualität in den tierischen Produkten wesentlich höher als die Proteinqualität in den für den Menschen potenziell essbaren Futterkomponenten

Stall- und weidebasierte Milchproduktionssysteme Analysen zur Lebensmittelkonversionseffizienz

Reducing the amount of human-edible feed in livestock diets is a key factor towards more sustainable livestock systems. Based on results from a conventional wholesystem study comparing performance, efficiency, land productivity, and profitability of an indoor-feeding system (SH) and a pasture-based dairy production system (VW) in lowlands of Central Switzerland, the net contribution of these systems to human food protein and energy supply was analysed. Depending on the presumed human-edible fraction, the system VW produced between 6.6 and 11.2 times more human-edible protein and 3.5 to 6.6 times more human-edible energy via animal products than the animals consumed via feeds. For the group SH, these factors were clearly lower but still in a positive range (1.0 to 2.5 and 0.9 and 1.9 for protein and energy respectively). In addition, protein quality in the animal products was considerable higher than protein quality in the potentially human-edible feed components

Nachhaltigkeit von drei graslandbasierten Milchproduktionssystemen in der Schweiz mit der Bewertungsmethode RISE

Dairy farming is a key sector for Swiss agriculture and the food industry. Therefore, sustainability of dairy farms is important. Grassland-based farming systems are the most common production system, combining the indoor feeding of fresh grass with partial grazing. The effects of three dairy production systems (VW: full grazing plus on avg. 46±93 SD kg concentrate (KF), GFKF: indoor feeding/partial grazing plus on avg. 345±204 SD kg KF and GFKFplus: indoor feeding/partial grazing plus on avg. 1007±353 SD kg KF) on sustainability, according to RISE, were studied on 12 pilot farms in the lowland of Switzerland. In most of the sustainability themes, the farms performed medium to good according to the RISE evaluation scale. The GFKFplus farms produced the highest output of milk by low N- and P-self-sufficiency, showed the highest energy input and the lowest greenhouse gas output per kg milk. The GFKF group achieved remarkable results by moderate N-, P- and energy inputs. The VW farms showed a lower milk output but a higher level of feed self-sufficiency and a lower energy consumption. In the search for the optimal production strategy, farms should consider the individual farm structure (contiguous areas), the market potential but also social aspects such as the preferences of the farmer`s family

Stall- und weidebasierte Milchproduktionssysteme Modellbetriebsanalysen zur Wirtschaftlichkeit unter österreichischen Produktionsbedingungen

In a whole-system study in lowland of Central Switzerland from 2007 - 2010 compared the performance, efficiency, land productivity and profitability of indoor-feeding (SH) dairy production with that of pasture-based feeding (VW) dairy production. In the present study these experimental results were economically evaluated under Austrian market und production conditions. Therefore conventional and organic model farms were created and analyzed using full cost accounting. In comparison to the barn feeding strategy a higher farm income, income per labor unit were achieved with the pasture-based feeding strategy. These economic differences were more pronounced under organic than conventional conditions

Comparative typology in six european low-intensity systems of grassland management

European biodiversity significantly depends on large-scale livestock systems with low input levels. In most countries forms of grazing are organized in permanent or seasonal cooperations (land-owner/land-user agents) and covers different landscape such as alpine areas, forest, grasslands, mires, and even arable land. Today, the existence of these structures is threatened due to changes in agricultural land use practices and erratic governmental policies. The present chapter investigates six low-input livestock systems of grassland management with varying degrees of arrangements in different European countries and landscapes. These large-scale grazing systems (LSGS) are reindeer husbandry in Northern Sapmi (Fennoscandia), sheep grazing in the Polish Tatra mountains, cattle grazing in the Swiss and German Alps, cattle, sheep, and pig grazing in Baixo Alentejo, Southern Portugal, and sedentary sheep grazing in Central Spain. These systems showed very heterogeneous organizational patterns in their way of exploiting the pastoral resources. At the same time, these LSGS showed at least some of the following weaknesses such as poor economic performance, social fragility, and structural shortcomings for proper grazing management. Lack of proper mobility of herds/flocks or accession to specific grazing grounds can be a cause of environmental hazards. The surveyed LSGS are mostly dependent on public handouts for survival, but successive policy schemes have only showed mixed effects and, in particular study areas, clear inconsistencies in their aim to stop the general declining trend of LSGS

Economic potential of milk production strategies with restrictive use of concentrated feed — An experiment on 36 family farms in the pre‐alpine region

The objective of this study was to quantify the economic potential of grass-based milk production strategies with limited use of concentrated feed in the pre-alpine region. We monitored 36 family dairy farms from the pre-alpine region of Switzerland divided in three study groups following one of three defined, voluntarily adopted production strategies: Partial grazing and barn feeding with freshly cut forages, supplementing <500 kg (GBF) and 1,200 kg (GBFplus) of concentrated feed, respectively, and practicing full grazing (FG), supplementing <100 kg of concentrated feed per cow per year. For three years (2014–2016), data were collected on the farms, and experience and ideas were exchanged and evaluated in a participatory process together with local extension services and researchers. Economic success indicators such as cost price and return to labor from each study group were compared with structurally similar control groups derived from the Swiss Farm Accountancy Data Network after completing an interactive standardization process, which largely balanced farm-specific features in the study groups. Compared with the control groups, the cost price (Swiss francs [CHF] per 100 kg milk) of GBF, GBFplus, and FG was significantly reduced by 20%, 20%, and 26%, respectively. Return to labor (CHF per hour) was significantly higher than in the control group for GBF (20.60 versus. 13.80), GBFplus (19.70 versus. 10.20), and FG (29.30 versus. 19.20). The comparison between the study groups also showed that lower milk revenues due to a lower use of concentrate could be economically compensated by a better input efficiency. A consistent implementation of the production strategy as well as personal qualities in terms of cost management seems to play a decisive role