Consumer preferences for farmers’ varieties

Our food value chain is characterized by an ongoing concentration and standardization on all levels and a concomitant loss in diversity. Putting the breeding and multiplication of seeds back into the hands of farmers is one strategy to counteract this concentration process and embed diversity in the food value chain. In this project we investigated consumers’ preferences for so-called farmers’ varieties, using vegetables as an example

More than wheat - the market potential of currently underutilised cereal crops

Diversity in arable production across Europe has been on the decline, with only a few varieties of common wheat, maize and barley accounting formore than85% of the cereals produced in the EU-28in 2015. The focus on only a few crops has shown to increase the risk of production loss due to pests and diseases.We conducted case studies of regional market initiatives in fourcountries to understand the success factors as well as challenges faced by initiatives aiming to increase cereal diversity and promote minor cereal crops. The four initiatives studied were involved with the production and trade of rye, oats, spelt, emmer and einkorn. The major success factors for these initiatives was the niche marketing approach used combined withthe skills and expertise of those involved as well as the knowledge and a network of external actors. These assets allowedthe initiatives to organise a niche market and buildup long lasting relationships all the actors, invest inareliable market planning and focus on consumer trends and needs. The major limitations for the development of the supply chains included the lack ofadapted processing technologyand infrastructure as well as restricted accessto seeds. The examples described here help to increase the diversity ofEuropeancereal production

Creating value(s) by integrating local and extra-local resources in cereal production in the Swiss Alps

This paper explores the long-term prospect of alternative, local food initiatives, taking a particular interest in the development of the embedded local values, understood as economic as well as cultural values. Analysing the case of a cooperative of mountain cereal farmers in Switzerland, we show that sustaining local values-based quality is a dynamic process of linking local and extra-local resources. Our results first show the importance of both proximity and place in constructing the ‘local’ by the cooperative. Second, product flow, knowledge and information exchange, quality control, and innovation are governed by both horizontal and vertical relationships between local and extra-local resources, and these multiple relationships build trust in the network and beyond. This, thirdly, enables the cooperative to continuously reproduce its values by weaving them into a cycle of quality creation. We conclude that we need to understand the characteristic values-based quality of the cooperative’s products as the result of a recurring cycle of local and extra-local knowledge creation and resource exchange

Veaux laitiers à engraisser en bio

Le sevrage dans la ferme de naissance et l’engraissement de boeufs de races laitières sont maintenant soutenus

Koexistenz? Es gibt kein Recht auf Verunreinigung

Bis 2017 gilt in der Schweiz das Gentechmoratorium: Der kommerzielle Anbau von getechnisch veränderten Pflanzen (GVO) ist verboten. Offenbar wollen nun der Bundesrat und die Bundesbehörden die Weichen stellen – für den GVO-Anbau nach 2017. Die Regierung legt einen Entwurf für ein neues Gentechnikgesetzes samt Koexistenzverordnung vor

Vitelli di razze da latte per ingrasso bio

Per lo svezzamento nell’azienda di nascita e l’ingrasso di buoi di razze da latte i contadini ricevono ora un aiuto

Es gibt viel zu tun

Die Landwirtschaft ist Täter und Opfer des Klimawandels. Im Bio-Landbau stecken große Potenziale, um die Herausforderungen gut zu meistern

Coexistence? Le droit de contamination n’existe pas

Le moratoire suisse sur les OGM est prolongé jusqu’en 2017: La culture commerciale de plantes transgéniques reste interdite. Le Conseil fédéral et les autorités fédérales veulent apparemment poser des jalons – pour les cultures GM après 2017. Le gouvernement présente en effet un projet pour une nouvelle loi sur l’ingénierie génétique flanquée d’une ordonnance sur la coexistence

Environmental, Social, and Economic Impacts of Sustainability Certification in the Agricultural Sector – The Current State of Empirical Research

Various stakeholders involved with sustainability certification are interested in knowing whether certification really fulfills its promises. Business managers who have to determine what type of products to source, consumers who are concerned about making appropriate buying decisions for themselves and their families, producers who think about obtaining certification, and sustainability standard initiatives that themselves need arguments to support their certification programs. A recent study conducted by FiBL (Niggli et al 2011) reviewed the current state of empirical research on environmental, social, and economic impacts of sustainability certification in the agricultural sector. One result of the study was that a disproportionate number of research papers are on the impacts of organic standards in comparison to the other labels under investigation (Fairtrade, Sustainable Agriculture Standard certified by the Rainforest Alliance, UTZ Certified, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, and Roundtable on Responsible Soy)

Alternatives for the substitution of synthetic vitamin B2 or vitamin B2 produced from GMOs

Today in conventional food and feed production added vitamin B2 is produced almost exclusively from a GMO,1 namely the genetically modified Bacillus subtilis. Vitamin B2 applied in certified organic food and feed productions is an exception, as it is still synthesized conventionally. In fall 2007 and also recently, there has been a lack of non-GMO derived vitamin B2 on the European market, which has caused temporary supply problems for organic producers. This event triggered the political will to conduct new research in order to find alternative solutions for the substitution of synthetic vitamin B2 in organic agriculture