Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL)

Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) English-language page of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL, www.fibl.org;

FiBL is an independent, non-profit, research institute with the aim of advancing cutting-edge science in the field of organic agriculture. FiBL’s research team works together with farmers to develop innovative and cost-effective solutions to boost agricultural productivity while never losing sight of environmental, health and socio-economic impacts. Alongside practical research, FiBL gives high priority to transferring knowledge into agricultural practice through advisory work, training and conferences. FiBL has offices in Switzerland, Germany and Austria and numerous projects and initiatives in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Portrait number 7 in our series FiBL Women 💪 in Agriculture!Today with Marie Dittmann, FiBL researcher and farmer.Her me...
25/09/2026

Portrait number 7 in our series FiBL Women 💪 in Agriculture!

Today with Marie Dittmann, FiBL researcher and farmer.

Her message ✉️

“In the future, I would like to see gender become less of a focus, with greater emphasis placed on individual knowledge and skills.
It makes me happy when male colleagues and farmers treat me as an equal and respect my work.”

Research & practice 🔬

“I originally studied biology and came to livestock science through my PhD thesis.
After working on various research projects, I had the opportunity to become a team leader at the Strickhof site in Früebüel.
My father instilled in me a respect for agricultural work from an early age, so despite my academic training, I have always been drawn to practical work.”

A dream job 💌

"My passion lies in working with ruminants and horses. However, I also really enjoy the mechanical work involved in forage production.
Being a farmer is a wonderful, complex and demanding vocation that requires a broad range of knowledge and skills.
For me, this means taking on a great deal of responsibility for the land and the living creatures entrusted to me.”

Our division of roles 🐂

“In our small team, the division of labour is based more on individual skills and preferences than on gender.
It happens that I’m sitting in the tractor while my staff tend to the geraniums or feed the lambs. Not everyone has to be able to do everything, as long as we complement each other well.”

Visit the Strickhof website here: https://pulse.ly/meoaipwmdx

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) | Strickhof

Visit us at ABIM 2026We are looking forward to welcoming you in hall 4.0, stand 008 👋Day 1️⃣: Innovation in biocontrol –...
24/09/2026

Visit us at ABIM 2026

We are looking forward to welcoming you in hall 4.0, stand 008 👋

Day 1️⃣: Innovation in biocontrol – Exploring the latest scientific and technological developments shaping the future of biocontrol.

Day 2️⃣: What biocontrol innovation means for the value chain – Examining how innovation can create value and impact for farmers, industry and the wider agricultural ecosystem.

Day 3️⃣: Enabling policy for biocontrol scale-up – Looking at how regulatory and policy frameworks can support adoption and help biocontrol solutions reach the market at scale.

The programme of ABIM: https://pulse.ly/t8ajrbcugp

ABIM 2026: Leading global biocontrol event returns to Basel📍The Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting (ABIM) will bring the...
18/09/2026

ABIM 2026: Leading global biocontrol event returns to Basel📍

The Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting (ABIM) will bring the global biocontrol community together from 20 to 22 October 2026 at the Congress Center Basel, Switzerland.

Organised by the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (IBMA) and FiBL, ABIM is a annual key meeting point for industry, science, and policymakers in biocontrol.

🗓️ Registration on the website is required prior to attending the event!

👉 Read the news and find the link to register here: https://pulse.ly/muchk77tcd

16/09/2026

Sorghum, millet, bambara nuts and groundnuts can help families build resilience to drought while providing nutritious food. Learn simple ways to grow and prepare these climate-smart crops.

Follow the link for the guide: https://kcoa-africa.org/when-the-rains-fail-these-crops-thrive-drought-tolerant-recipes-for-climate-smart-families/



SAOSO Kusamala Institute of Agriculture and Ecology Kasisi Agricultural Training Centre PGS South Africa Soils, Food and Healthy Communities PELUM Zambia PELUM Eswatini Zambia Alliance for Agroecology and Biodiversity Zambia Climate Change Network Namibian Organic Association Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) Sustainability Institute Action for Environmental Sustainability Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) Seed and Knowledge Initiative - SKI SAFCEI KHNA - Knowledge Hub for Organic Agriculture & Agroecology in North Africa Kcoa_khea

16/09/2026

Windbreaks in Central Anatolia, an Agroforestry Practice to Prevent...

Portrait number 6 in our series FiBL Women 💪 in Agriculture!Today with Anet Spengler Neff, FiBL Department co-head and G...
08/09/2026

Portrait number 6 in our series FiBL Women 💪 in Agriculture!

Today with Anet Spengler Neff, FiBL Department co-head and Group co-leader.

Her message ✉️

“From day one, I’ve been fascinated by farming, particularly alpine farming. I have the utmost respect for all farmers around the world because the work is so important and you can only do it if you’re a well-rounded person.
Every day, I think to myself how lucky I am to be a farmer too. With this, we’re never alone!”

Her own animals 🐑

“I didn’t grow up on a farm. I studied livestock science. Alongside my studies, I worked on farms and in the alpine pastures with cows and goats. Organic farming was very important to me right from the start.
Today, I keep a flock of Engadine sheep comprising 17 ewes. I get my hay from my brother. The pastures are on building plots. I don’t own any land myself.”

Recognising one’s own competence 🎓

After my A-levels, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I went into the Swiss mountains to think about my future. While I was there, I visited a farmer who invited me to help out on his farm. Despite the initial hard work, I was simply content.
It was negative comments about organic farming that spurred me on to study agriculture. I realised that, if I wanted to be able to talk knowledgeably about it, I would have to study it. I’ve never regretted it!”

Her network 📲

“I love living alongside and studying the animals. I learn a lot from them. What makes it special is that I have lots of helpers. There are about 20 of us in a WhatsApp group. I send a message when I need help.
Someone is always available, especially my daughter and my godchild. Many people from the neighbourhood bring me their stale bread and collect wool or manure for their gardens. So, in one way or another, lots of people are involved!”

For her contact details: https://pulse.ly/sagngvnbw1

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

🗣️ Voices on Climate: "Trees create a microclimate and lower stress underneath their canopy"Agroforestry systems help to...
07/09/2026

🗣️ Voices on Climate: "Trees create a microclimate and lower stress underneath their canopy"

Agroforestry systems help to create cooler local conditions during the hottest hours of the day. This is one of the key findings of FiBL’s SysCom project, which is investigating, amongst other things, cocoa cultivation in agroforestry systems in Bolivia. In our series "Voices on Climate", FiBL systems researcher Stéphane Saj discusses the impact of trees and the limits of what is possible.

👉 Read the interview here: https://pulse.ly/zjbpouc3gl

03/09/2026

✨Meet SOILSCAPE at the 🌱Soils for Europe Conference in Coimbra, Portugal!

Join us to explore how 🎨art, 🧪science and 🎪community participation can make soils visible and inspire action for healthier soils. Meet the project partners, exchange ideas and learn more about our project and initiatives.

👉Find SOILSCAPE at:
🌱7 Sep | 15:40–17:00 – From Soil Monitoring to Soil Culture: The Role of Art and Participation
🌱8 Sep | 09:00–12:30 – Living Labs & Project Fair
🌱9 Sep | 13:30–14:30 – Poster Session 1

🔗Learn more about Soils for Europe - https://soils4europe2026.eu/

EU Science & Innovation UNESCO Office in Venice Reframe.food Horizon Europe AFES - Association Française pour l'Etude du Sol European Rural Development Network Cleantech Bulgaria Clust-ER Create LUT University Anci Toscana Landscape Alliance Global Centre for Functional Ecology - Science for People & the Planet Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau Institut de recherche de l'agriculture biologique (FiBL) BFH | HESB - Hochschule für Agrar-, Forst- und Lebensmittelwissenschaften HAFL | Haute école des sciences agronomiques, forestières et alimentaires HAFL

Portrait number 5 in our series FiBL Women 💪 in Agriculture!Today with, Challandes member of the FiBL Foundation Counci...
28/08/2026

Portrait number 5 in our series FiBL Women 💪 in Agriculture!

Today with, Challandes member of the FiBL Foundation Council and farmer.

Her message ✉️

“Without women, Swiss agriculture would not be where it is today!
With women at the helm, it will move in the right direction. They can show the younger generation the way forward and encourage them to take the chance!”

Her career 🗞️

“I am a lawyer and a farmer with four grown-up children. I have worked in agricultural policy since 2014 and have been a member of the Executive Committee of the Swiss Association of Women Farmers and Rural Women (SBLV) since 2016. I have served as President of the SBLV since 2019.
Since 2019, I have been Vice-President of the Swiss Farmers’ Union (SBV). I was also a correspondent for the newspaper Agri for 16 years.”

Her environment📍

“As a child, I spent my holidays on a relative’s farm. It was through my husband, Stéphane, that I became a farmer. The countryside has become my living environment and farming my natural habitat – where I feel very much at home.
Since 2019, I have mainly been responsible for administration, bookkeeping, and household tasks on the farm.”

Her commitment 🙌

“I am actively committed to supporting women in agriculture and women from rural areas across all regions of Switzerland at a national level. Representing the interests of women and their families is a priority for me.
I therefore use my experience and knowledge to give women a voice and help them improve their positions. There are certainly aspects that need to be addressed in the future!”

Explore the dedicated page for the UN Year 2026 from the Swiss Association of Women Farmers and Rural Women: https://pulse.ly/tt8oy4xgr4

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

27/08/2026

🌍 How can Europe build a more climate-resilient agriculture?

As the European Commission develops an integrated framework for European climate resilience and risk management, we want to discuss how organic farming can help incentivise long-term resilience.

On 2 September, meet policymakers, researchers and practitioners at the European Parliament (or online, if you can't be there in person) for a discussion on the role of organic farming in strengthening the climate resilience of European agriculture.

✨ Programme highlights:
🌱 Evidence-based insights into the contribution of organic farming to climate resilience, complemented by practical experience from an organic farmer.
💬 A policy dialogue on the design of an effective climate resilience and risk management framework for agriculture.

🤝 The event is co-organised by IFOAM Organics Europe, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (JLU) and Firab as part of the Organicclimatenet project, and co-hosted by MEP Cristina Guarda (Greens/EFA in the European Parliament) and MEP Eric Sargiacomo (Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament).

📝 Discover the full agenda and register by 30 August https://www.organicseurope.bio/events/the-contribution-of-organic-farming-to-climate-change-adaptation-and-resilience/

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