Practical Ways to Assess Sustainability

Agroscope has developed the foundation of a methodology for assessing the sustainability of Swiss farms. From summer 2016, a set of indicators will be tested on around ten farms. Sustainably managed farms form an important basis for healthy, fit-for-the-future food production.

The assessment of a farm’s sustainability is a vital step in its optimisation. Here, equal consideration must be given to the criteria concerning the three dimensions of environment, economy and society. Agroscope has developed appropriate indicators, and published these in May 2016 in the ‘Agroscope Science’ publication series.

These indicators are the foundation for enabling farmers, consumers and associations as well as interested actors and stakeholders from production, processing and trade to develop a comprehensive farm sustainability assessment. Particular attention is devoted by Agroscope to the social dimension. This field still lacks sufficient resilient and practical indicators that are tailor-made for Swiss farms.

Well-being concept for human well-being

Four project teams developed indicators for assessing social sustainability, with a focus on the three areas of human well-being, animal welfare, and landscape aesthetics. Here, it was shown that the Well-being Concept of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) represents a good basis for depicting the various aspects of human well-being. To this end, key questions allowing the relevant topics to be described simply and concisely were developed for each sub-aspect such as e.g. work/life balance, social relationships and subjective well-being.

Owing to the relevance of the topic for agriculture, a project team devoted itself to the calculation of temporal workload. On the basis of the ‘ART Work Budget’ software developed by Agroscope to calculate the expected working time, we derived an indicator by comparing the theoretically derived working-time input and the workforce available on the farm.

Point system for animal welfare

A further project team noted that using a simple indicator to assess animal welfare cannot cover all of the requirements. The researchers therefore propose a point system that manages without observations or measurements on the animal itself. In this system, points are awarded to measures with an anticipated positive impact on one of the twelve animal welfare aspects taken into account in the existing Welfare®-Quality Protocol measuring instrument, e.g. freedom of movement or the absence of pain. In order for points to be awarded, the anticipated animal welfare must go beyond the minimum stipulated in the Swiss Animal Protection Law. Follow-up projects will now aim to determine whether a correlation does in fact exist between the number of points awarded and the level of animal welfare.

Indicators for the economy and environment

Agroscope has also developed indicators for the economic and environmental dimensions; detailed information on these can be found in the relevant Agroscope publication of May 2016. The economic sustainability of a farm can be illustrated by two key figures in each of the following areas: profitability (earned income per family labour unit and total return on capital); liquidity (cashflow-turnover rate and dynamic gearing ratio), and stability (investment intensity and investment coverage). The environmental dimension of sustainability encompasses the components of resource efficiency, effects on climate, nutrients, and ecotoxicity, as well as biodiversity and soil quality.

Practicability, utility, acceptance

Practical testing of the indicator set is carried out in close cooperation with the involved farmers. The test determines the practicability, utility and acceptance of a sustainability assessment at farm level. In addition to the refinement of the indicator set, a scientific analysis of the results is planned. The project will be concluded with an in-depth report at the end of 2019. The results obtained are meant to contribute to the implementation of a practical solution for assessing sustainability on a large number of farms. The project is financially supported by the Migros Cooperative Association (MGB). IP-Suisse is actively involved in data acquisition.

Further information:

Project number: 22.14.12.03.02

Effects of Plant-Protection Products in Agroecosystems and in the Environment

Das Projekt untersucht die Auswirkungen von Pflanzenschutzmitteln in Agrarökosystemen und in der Umwelt mit einer Kombination aus Versuchen in Realsystemen, Monitoring und Modellierungen. Zudem wird die Vernetzung von Forschungsprojekten zu diesem Thema gefördert.

In der Landwirtschaft besteht ein Zielkonflikt zwischen Produktivität, Umweltwirkungen und dem Schutz von natürlichen Ressourcen. In diesem Projekt sollen Grundlagen, Analysen und Unterstützungsinstrumente geliefert werden, die untersuchen und belegen, welche ökologischen Auswirkungen Pflanzenschutzmittel (PSM) in den Agrarökosystemen und der Umwelt haben, wie die nachhaltige Nutzung von Ökosystemleistungen (Bodenfruchtbarkeit, Nützlinge, Biodiversität) gesichert werden kann und inwiefern die Transformation des landwirtschaftlichen Systems agrarökologisch und mit PSM erreicht werden kann.

Project ID: 3745 Sending by e-mail

Head of Project

Blom Judith

Deputy

Balmer Marianne

Last Name, First Name	Location
Balmer Marianne	Wädenswil
Blom Judith	Wädenswil
Bucheli Thomas	Reckenholz
Churko Gregory	Reckenholz
Furrer Cédric	Reckenholz
Hornák Karel	Reckenholz
Jeker Lukas	Liebefeld
Kasteel Romualdus	Wädenswil
Lutz Elisabeth	Wädenswil
Mathis Marcel	Wädenswil
Meissle Michael	Reckenholz
Poiger Thomas	Wädenswil
Ranke Johannes	Wädenswil
Romeis Jörg	Reckenholz
Szerencsits Erich	Reckenholz
Trummer Joel	Wädenswil
Zeender Valérian	Wädenswil

Churko G., Haibach G., Bär M., Szerencsits E., Schmidt B. R.
Use of agricultural fields by Natterjack toads: Implications for pesticide exposure.
Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 369, 2024, 1-12.

Balmer M., Schaller U., Krauss J., Geiser H. C., Poiger T.
Beistoffe in Pflanzenschutzmitteln und ihre Rückstände in Lebensmitteln.
Agrarforschung Schweiz, 15, 2024, 53-61.

Aldrich A., Schmidt B. R., Szerencsits E., Churko G., Altermatt K., Bänziger S., Bär M., Bozzuto C., Haibach G., Vimercati G.
Amphibien in der Agrarlandschaft: Risikominderung im Pflanzenschutz und Förderung der Populationen.
Agroscope Science, 178, 2024, 1-102.

Wäspe J.
Aktivitäten von Agroscope zum Ersatz von Pyrethroiden.
In: KPSD Winter-Tagung 2024. 7. März, Olten (CH). 2024, 1-17.
other Languages: french

Hilber I., Bahena‑Juárez F., Chiaia‑Hernández A.C., Elgueta S., Escobar‑Medina A., Friedrich K., González‑Curbelo M.A., Grob Y., Martín‑Fleitas M., Miglioranza K.S.B., Peña‑Suárez B., Pérez‑Consuegra N., Ramírez‑Muñoz F., Sosa‑Pacheco D., Bucheli T.
Pesticides in soil, groundwater and food in Latin America as part of one health.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 31, 2024, 14333-14345.

Churko G., Szerencsits E., Aldrich A., Schmidt B. R.
Spatial analysis of the potential exposure of amphibians to plant protection products at the landscape scale.
Basic and Applied Ecology, 76, 2024, 14-24.

Ranke J.
The EFSA OpenFoodTox Data Made Accessible as an R Package.

Poiger T., Müller J., Kasteel R., Bürge I.
Degradation and sorption of the herbicide pelargonic acid in subsoils below railway tracks compared to a range of topsoils.
Environmental Sciences Europe, 36, (4), 2024, 1-13.

Pontes J. S., Oehl F., Pereira C. D., Machado C. T. T., Coyne D., Silva D. K. A., Maia L. C.
Heterogeneity in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and plant communities of the Brazilian Cerrado, transitional areas towards the Caatinga, and the Atlantic Forest.
Microbial Ecology, 87, (1), 2024, 1-15.

Buerge I., Kasteel R., Poiger T.
Leaching of herbicides and their metabolites in lysimeters filled with soils from railway tracks.
Science of the Total Environment, 909, 2024, 1-11.

Abdel-Wahab M.A., Abdollahzadeh J., Abeywickrama P.D., Absalan S., Becerra J.D.P., Crous P.W., Hyde K.D., Oehl F., Silva G.A., Stadler M., Thines M., Zucconi L .
Global consortium for the classification of fungi and fungus-like taxa.
Mycosphere, 14, (1), 2023, 1960-2012.

Lutz E., Blom J., Schneuwly J., de Baan L.
Analyse zum Einsatz von Pflanzenschutzmitteln in der Schweiz.
Agroscope Science, 173, 2023, 1-109.

Mathis M., Ranke J., Blom J., Balmer M., de Baan L.
Pflanzenschutzmittel Risikokarten: Teil 2: Räumliche Modellierung des ökotoxikologischen Risikopotenzials von Pflanzenschutzmitteln für Einzugsgebiete in der Schweiz.
Agroscope Science, 171, 2023, 1-104.

Corazon-Guivin M.A., Romero-Cachique G., Del Aguila K.M., Padilla-Domínguez A., Hernández-Amasifuen A.D., Cerna-Mendoza A., Coyne D., Oehl F.
Rhizoglomus variabile and Nanoglomus plukenetiae, native to Peru, promote coffee growth in Western Amazonia.
Microorganisms, 11, (12), 2023, 1-21.

Corazon-Guivin M.A., Vallejos-Tapullima A., Valles-Coral M.-A., Mendiola-Céspedes A.R., Ascón-Dionicio G.U., Corrêa R.X., Santos V.M., Alves da Silva G.A., Oehl F.
Viscospora peruviscosa, a new fungus in the Glomeraceae from a plantation of Theobroma cacao in Peru.
Journal of Applied Botany and Food Quality, 96, 2023, 117-122.

Da Silva G. A., Corazon-Guivin M. A., De Assis D. M. A., Oehl F.
Blaszkowskia, a new genus in Glomeraceae.
Mycological Progress, 22, (74), 2023, 1-14.

Oehl F., Corazon-Guivin M.A., Tchabi A., Coyne D., Sieverding E.
Are all arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi beneficial for crops and soils?
In: 1st European Healthy Soils Conference. 13 September, Muttenz. 2023, 1.

Ranke J.
mkin: Kinetic Evaluation of Chemical Degradation Data: Version 1.2.4 from 19 May 2023.

Lebeuf R., Landry J., Ammirati J. F., Aronsen A., Cantillo T., Castillo R., Corazon-Guivin M. A., Da Silva G. A., Dirks A. C., Healy R. A., Holzapfel Q. M., Jagers M., Oehl F., Krisai-Greilhuber I.
Fungal systematics and evolution: FUSE 9.
Sydowia, 75, 2023, 313-377.

Hernandez-Jerez A., Adriaanse P., Aldrich A., Berny P., Coja T., Duquesne S., Focks A., Marinovich M., Millet M., Pelkonen O., Pieper S., Topping C., Kasteel R.
Statement of the scientific panel on plant protection products and their residues (PPR Panel) on the design and conduct of groundwater monitoring studies supporting groundwater exposure assessments of pesticides.
EFSA Journal, 21, (5), 2023, 1-108.

Balmer M. E., Janser D., Schaller U., Krauss J., Geiser H. C., Poiger T.
Residues of pesticide co-formulants in lettuce and parsley: Identification of decline processes using field trials in different cropping systems.
Pest Management Science, In Press, 2023, 1-9.

Liang X., Christensen J. H., Bucheli T., Nielsen N. J.
Suspect screening of lupin-produced phytotoxins in environmental samples.
LCGC Europe, 36, (5), 2023, 158-162.

Liang X., Christensen J. H., Bucheli T., Juul Nielsen N.
Source-supported suspect screening (4S) of phytotoxins in terrestrial and aquatic environments: A field study of Lupinus angustifolius L. (Blue Lupin).
Environmental Science & Technology, 57, (6), 2023, 2333-2340.

Korkaric M., Lehto M., Poiger T., de Baan L., Mathis M., Ammann L., Hanke I., Balmer M., Blom J.
Nationale Risikoindikatoren für Pflanzenschutzmittel: Weiterführende Analysen.
Agroscope Science, 154, 2023, 1-48.

Reinhardt M., Jud F., Kiefer K., Hollender J., Poiger T., Knauer K., Geiser C., Moschet C., Götz C.
Priorisierung PSM-Metaboliten: Auswahl der Pflanzenschutzmittel-Metaboliten für das NAQUA-Monitoring im Grundwasser.
Aqua & Gas, 12, 2022, 58-67.

Säle V., Korkaric M., Neuweiler R., de Baan L.
Punktesystem für den Pflanzenschutz im Gemüsebau: Reduktion des Einsatzes von Pflanzenschutzmitteln und deren Risiken durch flexible Anreizsysteme.
Agroscope Science, 139, 2022, 1-73.

Korkaric M., Ammann L., Hanke I., Schneuwly J., Lehto Hürlimann M., Poiger T., de Baan L., Daniel O., Blom J.
Nationale Risikoindikatoren basierend auf dem Verkauf von Pflanzenschutzmitteln.
Agrarforschung Schweiz, 13, 2022, 1-10.
other Languages: french

Säle V., Sieverding E., Oehl F.
Growth responses of three european weeds on different AMF species during early development.
Plants, 11, (15), 2022, 1-13.

Corazon-Guivin M.A., Vallejos-Torres G., Vallejos-Tapullima A., Tenorio-Cercado M. A., Mendoza Caballero W., Marín C., Santos V. M., da Silva G. A., Oehl F.
Rhizoglomus cacao, a new species of the Glomeraceae from the rhizosphere of Theobroma cacao in Peru, with an updated identification key for all species attributed to Rhizoglomus.
Nova Hedwigia, 115, (1-2), 2022, 99-115.

Sosa D., Hilber Schöb I., Bürge D., Faure R., Escobar A., Bucheli T.
Heavy metals in soils of Mayabeque, Cuba: multifaceted and hardly discernable contributions from pedogenic and anthropogenic sources.
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 194, 2022, 1-17.

Wijayawardene N.N., Dai D.Q, Sánchez-García M., Thines M., Goto B.T., Saxena R.K., Erdoğdu M., Selçuk F., Rajeshkumar K.C., Aptroot A., Błaszkowski J., Boonyuen N., da Silva G. A., de Souza F. A., Dong W. and others
Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa - 2021.
Mycosphere, 13, (1), 2022, 53-453.

Jacobi J., Llanque A., Mukhovi S. M., Birachi E., von Groote P., Eschen R., Hilber-Schöb I., Kiba D. I., Frossard E., Robledo-Abad C.
Transdisciplinary co-creation increases the utilization of knowledge from sustainable development research.
Environmental Science and Policy, 129, 2022, 107-115.

Mathis M., Blom J., Nemecek T., Bravin E., Jeanneret P., Daniel O. , de Baan L.
Comparison of exemplary crop protection strategies in Swiss apple production: Multi-criteria assessment of pesticide use, ecotoxicological risks, environmental and economic impacts.
Sustainable Production and Consumption, 31, 2022, 512-528.

Corazon-Guivin M. A., Vallejos-Tapullima A., de la Sota-Ricaldi A. M., Vallejos-Torres G., Ruíz-Sánchez M. E., Santos V. M., da Silva G. A., Oehl F.
Acaulospora flavopapillosa, a new fungus in the Glomeromycetes from a coffee plantation in Peru, with an updated key for the identification of Acaulosporaceae species.
Journal of Applied Botany and Food Quality, 95, 2022, 6-16.

El Hilali R., Symanczik S., El Kinany S., Oehl F., Ouahmane L., Bouamri R.
Cultivation, identification, and application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with date palm plants in Drâa-Tafilalet oasis.
Rhizosphere, 22, 2022, 1-8.

Lebeuf R., Alexandrova A. V., Cerna-Mendoza A., Corazon-Guivin M. A., da Silva G. A., de la Sota-Ricaldi A. M., Dima B., Fryssouli V., Guerrero-Abad J. C., Lamoureux Y., Landry J., Mešic A., Morozova O. V., Noordeloos M. E., Oehl F. and others
Fungal Systematics and Evolution: FUSE 8.
Sydowia, 74, 2021, 193-249.