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: 22.16.19.06.03

Functional Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

Durch die Förderung von genussvollen und qualitativ hochwertigen pflanzlichen Lebensmittel, wird der Konsum von Schweizer Obst und Gemüse sowie deren Verarbeitungsprodukte gestärkt. Die Auswirkung von Nachernteverfahren und Verarbeitungstechnologien wird untersucht und kommuniziert. Dies geschieht in engem Kontakt mit verschiedenen Forschungsbereichen, sowie in praxisnaher Zusammenarbeit mit der Branche, entlang der Wertschöpfungskette. Im Fokus stehen mikrobiologische, chemische, physikalische und humansensorische Analysen bezüglich Sortenzüchtung, -prüfung, Lagerung und Verarbeitung.

Project ID: 3823 Sending by e-mail

Head of Project

Jeanneret Philippe

Liégeois Maud Cécile Clara

Deputy

Albrecht Matthias

Last Name, First Name	Location
Albrecht Matthias	Reckenholz
Breitenmoser Stève	Changins
Demal Sonia	Changins
Durrer Chiara	Reckenholz
Herzog Felix	Reckenholz
Jacot-Ammann Katja	Reckenholz
Jeanneret Philippe	Reckenholz
Kehrli Patrik	Changins
Keller Thomas	Reckenholz
Knauer Anina	Reckenholz
Liégeois Maud Cécile Clara	Reckenholz
Maurer Corina	Reckenholz
McLaughlin Gabrielle	Reckenholz
Steinger Thomas	Changins
Studer Angela	Reckenholz
Tschanz Philippe	Reckenholz
Vogelgsang Susanne	Reckenholz
Wirth Judith	Changins
Zorn Alexander	Tänikon

Laurent M., Bougeard S., Caradec L., Ghestem F., Albrecht M., Brown M. J. F., De Miranda J., Karise R., Knapp J., Serrano J., Potts S. G., Rundlöf M., Schwarz J., Attridge E., Babin A. and others
Novel indices reveal that pollinator exposure to pesticides varies across biological compartments and crop surroundings.
Science of the Total Environment, 927, 2024, 1-12.

Masson S.
Perspektiven für die Umsetzung des integrierten Pflanzenschutzes in der Schweiz durch innovative Landwirtegruppen.
In: Sitzung der Trägerschaft, Kommunikationsgruppe und Begleitgruppe PestiRed. 21. März, Publ. IP Suisse, Zollikofen. 2024, 1-4.

Masson S., Buchmann J., Bütler A., Cadot S., De Jong A.V., Mathys P., Rueda Ayala V. P., Seiler A., Steinger T., Vogelgsang S., Wirth J., Zorn A., Jeanneret P.
Rendement et IFT entre parcelles innovantes et témoin.
In: Sitzung der Trägerschaft, Kommunikationsgruppe und Begleitgruppe PestiRed. 21 mars, Publ. IP Suisse, Zollikofen. 2024, 1.

Masson S., Wassef J., Bütler A., Cadot S., Rueda Ayala V. P., Steinger T., Vogelgsang S., Wirth J., Zorn A., Jeanneret P.
Mesures mises en oeuvre sur les parcelles PestiRed de 2020 à 2022.
In: Sitzung der Trägerschaft, Kommunikationsgruppe und Begleitgruppe PestiRed. 21 mars, Publ. IP Suisse, Zollikofen. 2024, 1.

Buchmann J., de Jong A.V., Seiler A., Masson S., Rueda Ayala V. P., Jeanneret P., Wirth J.
PestiRed : Désherbage selon des principes des la protection phytosanitaire intégrée.
In: Sitzung der Trägerschaft, Kommunikationsgruppe und Begleitgruppe PestiRed. 21 mars, Publ. IP Suisse, Zollikofen. 2024, 1.

Babin A., Schurr F., Delannoy S., Fach P., Huyen Ton Nu Nguyet M., Bougeard S., de Miranda J., Rundlöf M., Wintermantel D., Albrecht M., Attridge E., Knauer A.
Distribution of infectious and parasitic agents among three sentinel bee species across European agricultural landscapes.
Scientific Reports, 14, 2024, 1-20.

Marja R., Albrecht M., Herzog F., Öckinger E., Segre H., Kleijn D., Batary P.
Quantifying potential trade-offs and win-wins between arthropod diversity and yield on cropland under agri-environment schemes: A meta-analysis.
Journal of Environmental Management, 353, 2024, 1-9.

Proesmans. W., Felten E., Laurent E., Albrecht M., Nathan C., Labonté A., Maurer C., Paxton R., Schweiger O., Szentgyörgyi H., Vanbergen A.
Urbanisation and agricultural intensification modulate plant–pollinator network structure and robustness.
Functional Ecology, In Press, 2024, 1-14.

Schwarz J., Knauer A., Alaux C., Barascou L., Barraud A., Dievart V., Ghazoul J., Michez D., Albrecht M.
Diverse pollen nutrition can improve the development of solitary bees but does not mitigate negative pesticide impacts.
Science of the Total Environment, 912, 2024, 1-15.

Knauer A., Naef C., Albrecht M.
Pesticide hazard, floral resource availability and natural enemies interactively drive the fitness of bee species depending on their crop fidelity.
Science of the Total Environment, 922, 2024, 1-8.

Ammann L., Bosem-Baillod A., Herzog F., Frey D., Entling M., Albrecht M.
Spatio-temporal complementarity of floral resources sustains wild bee pollinators in agricultural landscapes.
Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 359, 2024, 1-11.

a Marca A.
Flower strips in vineyards: promoting wild bees: Master's thesis.
Publ. ETH Zürich, 2023, 43 pp.

Porfido P.
Risk of plant protection products to wild bees in vineyards with sown wildflower strips compared to vineyards with natural vegetation: Master's thesis.
Publ. ETH Zürich, 2023, 40 pp.

Nicholson C., Knapp J., Kiljanek T., Albrecht M., Chauzat M., Costa C., De la Rua P., Klein A., Mänd M., Potts S., Schweiger O., Bottero I., Cini E., de Miranda J., Di Prisco G. and others
Pesticide use negatively affects bumble bees across European landscapes.
Nature, In Press, 2023, 1-24.

Albrecht M., Bossart S., Tschanz P., Keller T., Sutter L.
Grassland extensification enhances nest densities of ground-nesting wild bees.
Journal of Applied Ecology, 00, 2023, 1-11.

Bütler A., Zorn A.
Lohnt sich der PSM-Verzicht in Weizen und Raps?
UFA-Revue, 11, 2023, 56-58.
other Languages: french

Zorn A., Bütler A., Mathys P.
Wirtschaftlichkeit des Verzichts auf Pflanzenschutzmittel bei Weizen und Raps: Ergebnisse der ersten zwei Erntejahre aus dem Projekt PestiRed.
Agroscope Science, 169, 2023, 1-31.

Schauer A., Bianco N., Yañez O., Brown A., Albrecht M., Neumann P.
Deformed wing virus prevalence in solitary bees put to the test: An experimental transmission study.
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11, 2023, 1-11.

Alejandre E. M., Scherer L., Guinée J. B., Aizen M. A., Albrecht M., Balzan M. V., Bartomeus I., Bevk D., Burkle L. A., Clough Y., Cole L. J., Delphia C. M., Dicks L. V.
Characterization factors to assess land use impacts on Pollinator abundance in life cycle assessment.
Environmental Science & Technology, 57, (8), 2023, 3445-3454.

Bottero I., Dominik C., Schweiger O., Albrecht M., Attridge E., Brown M. J. F., Cini E., Costa C., De la Rúa P., de Miranda J. R., Di Prisco G., Dzul Uuh D., Hodge S., Ivarsson K., Knauer A. and others
Impact of landscape configuration and composition on pollinator communities across different European biogeographic regions.
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11, 2023, 1-16.

Báez Senties G.
Nutzniesser im Bienennest.
Schweizerische Bienen-Zeitung, 6, 2023, 17-19.

Studer A., Jeanneret P., Jacot-Ammann K.
Conservation pest control in sugar beets.
Januar, 2023, 39 pp.
other Languages:

Jeanneret P., Buchmann J., Cadot S., de Jong A.-V., Seiler A., Steinger T., Vogelgsang S., Wirth J., Zorn A.
Nützlinge am Rand von Parzellen mit und ohne innovativem und agrarökologischem Ansatz.
In: Agroscope-internes Meeting PSM-Ressourcenprojekte. 24. Januar, Publ. Agroscope, Walierhof. 2023.

Tschanz P., Vogel S., Walter A., Keller T., Albrecht M.
Nesting of ground-nesting bees in arable fields is not associated with tillage system per se, but with distance to field edge, crop cover, soil and landscape context.
Journal of Applied Ecology, 60, (1), 2023, 158-169.

Jacot-Ammann K.
Blühstreifen für Bestäuber und andere Nützlinge.
In: Pflanzenschutz im nachhaltigen Ackerbau. 10. Auflage, Publ. Edition lmz, 2022, 394-395.

Zorn A., Clémence S.
Bewertung alternativer Pflanzenschutzmassnahmen: Befragungen der Betriebe des Ressourcenprojektes PestiRed.
Agroscope Science, 141, 2022, 1-31.
other Languages: french

Eckerter P. W., Albrecht M., Herzog F., Entling M.H.
Floral resource use and fitness consequences for two solitary bee species in agricultural landscapes.
Basic and Applied Ecology, 65, 2022, 1-15.

Albrecht M.
Lebensraum für Insekten stärkt Bestäubung und landwirtschaftliche Produktion.
12. Dezember, 2022, 2 pp.
other Languages: french

Hodge S., Schweiger O., Klein A. M., Potts S. G., Costa C., Albrecht M., de Miranda J., Mand M., De la Rua P., Rundlöf M., Attridge E., Dean R. R., Bulet P., Michez D., Paxton R. J. and others
Design and planning of a transdisciplinary investigation into farmland pollinators: Rationale, co-design, and lessons learned.
Sustainability, 14, (17), 2022, 1-30.

Knauer A., Gallmann J., Albrecht M.
Bee Tracker—an open-source machine learning-based video analysis software for the assessment of nesting and foraging performance of cavity-nesting solitary bees.
Ecology and Evolution, 12, (3), 2022, 1-8.

Knauer A., Alaux C., Allen M. J., Dean R. R., Dievart V., Glauser G., Klijanek T, Michez D., Schwarz J., Tamburini G., Wintermantel D., Klein A.-M., Albrecht M.
Nutritional stress exacerbates impact of a novel insecticide on solitary bees' behaviour, reproduction and survival.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 289, (1984), 2022, 1-9.

Brönnimann V., Jacot-Ammann K., Jeanneret P.
Nützlinge statt Pestizide im Zuckerrübenanbau: Pilotprojekt 2021.
Publ. Agroscope, Zürich. 11. Februar, 2022, 23 pp.

Fried G., Le Corre V., Rakotoson T., Buchmann J., Germain T., Gounon R., Royer H., Biju-Duval L., Felten E., Vieren E., Chauvel B.
Impact of new management practices on arable and field margin plant communities in sunflower, with an emphasis on the abundance of Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Asteraceae).
Weed Research, 62, (2), 2022, 134-148.

Straub L., Strobl V., Yanez O., Albrecht M., Brown M. J. F., Neumann P.
Do pesticide and pathogen interactions drive wild bee declines?
International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 18, 2022, 232-243.

Zorn A., Clémence S. , Buchmann J., de Jong A.-V., Masson S., Steinger T., Seiler A., Vogelgsang S., Wirth J., Jeanneret P.
Beurteilung alternativer Pflanzenschutzmassnahmen: Erste Ergebnisse aus dem Ressourcenprojekt PestiRed.
In: 45. Agrarökonomietagung. 4. Oktober, Publ. Agroscope, Tänikon. 2022.

Buchmann J., de Jong A.-V., Seiler A., Masson S., Zorn A., Wirth J., Steinger T., Vogelgsang S., Clémence S.
Pesticide use reduction with alternative biodiversity-friendly practices: A case study in Switzerland.
In: INTECOL2022: Frontiers in Ecology: Science & Society. 2. septembre, Geneva. 2022, 1-19.

Maurer C., Sutter L., Martinez Nunez C., Pellissier L., Albrecht M.
Different types of semi-natural habitat are required to sustain diverse wild bee communities across agricultural landscapes.
Journal of Applied Ecology, online, (2 August), 2022, 1-12.

Zorn A., Clémence S., Masson S., Jeanneret P.
PestiRed: Ein Schweizer Projekt zur Reduktion von PS-Mitteln.
Der Pflanzenarzt, (8), 2022, 6-8.

Jacot-Ammann K., Bättig D.
Blühende Rebberge für Mensch und Natur.
Publ. Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau FiBL, Frick. 2022, 52 pp.

Buchmann J., Masson S., de Jong A.-V., Seiler A., Rueda Ayala V. P., Jeanneret P., Wirth J.
PestiRed : Weed management based on IPM principles.
In: 19th European Weed Research Society Symposium. 20. - 23. Juni, Publ. European Weed Research Society, EWRS Athens. 2022.

Eckerter P., Albrecht M., Bertrand C., Gobet E., Herzog F., Pfister S., Tinner W., Entling M.
Effects of temporal floral resource availability and non‑crop habitats on broad bean pollination.
Landscape Ecology, (37), 2022, 1-14.

Dimitry Wintermantel, Maria-Helena Pereira-Peixoto, Nadja Warth, Kristin Melcher, Michael Faller, Joachim Feurer, Matthew J. Allan, Robin Dean, Giovanni Tamburini, Knauer A., Schwarz J., Albrecht M., Alexandra-Maria Klein
Flowering resources modulate the sensitivity of bumblebees to a common fungicide.
Science of the Total Environment, 829, 2022, 1-11.

Schwarz J., Knauer A., Allan M., Dean R., Ghazoul J., Tamburini G., Wintermantel D., Klein A.-K., Albrecht M.
No evidence for impaired solitary bee fitness following pre-flowering sulfoxaflor application alone or in combination with a common fungicide in a semi-field experiment.
Environment International, 164, 2022, 1-11.

Allen-Perkins A., Magrach A., Dainese M., Albrecht M., Sutter L., Herzog F., Jeanneret P., Nates Parra G., Magalhaes Pigozo C., Bartomeus I.
CropPol: A dynamic, open and global database on crop pollination.
Ecology, 103, (3), 2022, 1-8.

Zia H., Von Ah U., Meng Y. H., Schmidt R., Kerler J., Fuchsmann P.
Biotechnological formation of dairy flavor inducing δ-lactones from vegetable oil.
Food Chemistry, 13, 2022, 1-11.

Bättig D., Ramseier H., Luka H., Herzog F., Jacot-Ammann K.
Blühstreifen für Bestäuber: Umfrage zeigt weitgehende Zufriedenheit in der Praxis.
Agrarforschung Schweiz, 13, 2022, 26-33.

Zorn A., Clémence S., Seiler A., de Jong A.-V., Buchmann J., Masson S., Steinger T., Vogelgsang S., Wirth J., Jeanneret P.
Wirtschaftlichkeit und Akzeptanz alternativer Pflanzenschutzmassnahmen.
In: 9. Nationale Ackerbautaung. 11.01., Publ. Plattform Ackerbau Schweiz PAG-CH, 2022.
other Languages: french

Meier L., Clémence S., Zorn A.
Nutzung von Daten aus elektronischen Feldkalendern.
In: Informatik in der Land-, Forst- und Ernährungswirtschaft Fokus: Künstliche Intelligenz in der Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft. Volume P-317, Publ. Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), Köllen Druck+Verlag GmbH, Bonn. 2022, 189-194.

Video Nachhaltigkeitstagung 2016 (youtube)