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Sustainability

Bodenverdichtung

How does compacted soil recover?

It takes mere seconds to compact a soil, but years or even decades for it to recover. Biological activities by plant roots and soil organisms (earthworms) as well as physical effects like drying out and rewetting phases, and freezing-thawing cycles are vital for natural regeneration. Exactly how recovery happens is being investigated in a long-term field trial. For this, an observational infrastructure with hundreds of soil probes – the Soil Structure Observatory (SSO) – was set up in 2014 together with ETH Zurich. After the initial compaction event, a fallow, a permanent grassland and a crop rotation with and without tillage were set up. This allows to analyse e.g. the influence of plants and tillage on recovery.

Bodenfruchtbarkeit und Bodenschutz
SoilStructureObservatory
Regeneration verdichteter Böden

Publikation Arbeitshaltung Melken

Ergonomics in the milking parlour

Milkers frequently suffer from musculoskeletal disorders, especially in the area of the shoulders and arms.  Agroscope therefore investigated whether appropriate working heights can reduce workload in the milking parlour. For this, the angle of flexion of various joints during milking was recorded in one experiment, whilst a second experiment recorded muscle contractions at three different heights. The study showed that although a lower working height in the milking parlour has no effect on forearms or upper arms, it significantly reduces strain on the shoulders. 

Publikationen Nadja El Benni

Richter F., Suter M., Lüscher A., Buchmann N., El Benni N., Feola Conz R., Hartmann M., Jan P., Klaus V.
Effects of management practices on the ecosystem-service multifunctionality of temperate grasslands.
Nature Communications, 15, 2024, 1-15.

Meyer M., Gazzarin C., Jan P., El Benni N.
Understanding the heterogeneity of Swiss alpine summer farms for tailored agricultural policies: A typology.
Mountain Research and Development, 44, (1), 2024, R10-R18.

Ammann J., Mack G., El Benni N., Jin S., Newell-Price P., Tindale S., Hunter E., Vicario-Modrono V., Gallardo-Cobos R., Sánchez-Zamora P., Miskolci S., Frewer L. J.
Consumers across five European countries prioritise animal welfare above environmental sustainability when buying meat and dairy products.
Food Quality and Preference, 117, 2024, 1-11.

Mack G., Ritzel C., Ammann J., El Benni N.
Improving the understanding of farmers’ non-compliance with agricultural policy regulations.
Journal of Rural Studies, 106, 2024, 1-11.

Saleh R., El Benni N., Masson S., Ammann J.
Public acceptance and sustainability perceptions of food produced with chemical, digital and mechanical weed control measures.
Food Quality and Preference, In Press, 2023, 1-25.

El Benni N.
Ernährungssicherheit in der Schweiz.
In: Brennpunkt Nahrung. 7. November, Luzern. 2023, 1-16.

Huber R., Bartkowski B., Brown C., El Benni N., Feil J.-H., Grohmann P., Joormann I., Leonhardt H., Mitter H., Müller B.
Farm typologies for understanding farm systems and improving agricultural policy.
Agricultural Systems, 213, 2023.

Tarruella M., Huber R., Mack G., El Benni N., Finger R.
Cost-effectiveness of farm- vs. regional-level climate change mitigation policies.
Q Open, In Press, 2023, 1-19.

Ammann J., Mack G., Irek J., Finger R., El Benni N.
Investigating the role of meat commitment in public preferences for animal welfare in Swiss agricultural policy.
In: Swiss Nutrition Conference. 10 November, Bern. 2023, 1.

El Benni N., Irek J., Finger R., Mack G., Ammann J.
How Swiss citizens perceive the multifunctional role of agriculture: Culture likely matters.
In: XVII Congress of the European Association of Agricultural Economics (EAAE) «Agri-Food Systems in a changing world: Connecting Science and Society», August 29th – September 1st, 2023, Rennes, France. 29 August, Rennes. 2023, 1-18.

Ammann J., Mack G., Irek J., Finger R., El Benni N.
Consumers’ meat commitment and the importance of animal welfare as agricultural policy goal.
Food Quality and Preference, 112, 2023, 1-13.

Hoop D., El Benni N.
Bewertung der Wettbewerbsfähigkeit der Milcherzeugung: Der Einfluss von Kostenallokationsmethoden.
Agroscope Science, 168, 2023, 1-17.
weitere Sprachen: englisch

El Benni N., Grovermann C., Finger R.
Agrarökonomische Evaluierungsmethoden für eine evidenzbasierte Agrarpolitik.
Agrarforschung Schweiz, 14, 2023, 172-182.

Meyer M., Gazzarin C., El Benni N., Jan P.
The structure of Swiss alpine summer farms: An old tradition through a new lens.
In: 33. Jahrestagung der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Agrarökonomie. 27. September, Wien (AT). 2023.

El Benni N., Schmid D.
Der Zusammenhang zwischen Direktzahlungen und ausserlandwirtschaftlichen Tätigkeiten.
Agrarforschung Schweiz, 14, 2023, 67-75.

El Benni N., Irek J., Mack G., Ammann J.
Agrarpolitische Zielkonflikte aus der Sicht der KonsumentInnen.
In: Fachbeiratssitzung Mutterkuh Schweiz. 05. Mai, Brugg. 2023, 1-18.

Richter F., Lüscher A., Jan P., El Benni N., Suter M., Buchmann N., Klaus V.
Der Einfluss biologischer Bewirtschaftung auf Ökosystemleistungen von Wiesen und Weiden.
In: 16. Wissenschaftstagung Ökologischer Landbau. 09. März, Hrsg. FIBL, Frick. 2023, 1-4.

Klaus V., Richter F., Buchmann N., El Benni N., Jan P., Lüscher A.
Produktivität biologisch bewirtschafteter Weiden und Wiesen im Kanton Solothurn.
In: 16. Wissenschaftstagung Ökologischer Landbau. 9. März, Hrsg. FiBL, Frick. 2023, 1-4.

Ammann J., Walter A., El Benni N.
Dataset on digital technologies as learning content in farm manager training in Switzerland and willingness to use farm information systems.
Data in Brief, 48, 2023, 1-7.

El Benni N., Grovermann C., Finger R.
Towards more evidence-based agricultural and food policies.
Q Open, In Press, 2023, 1-24.

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Rinder Fuetterung

Optimised feed reduces environmental impacts

On behalf of Micarna SA, Agroscope analysed the environmental impacts of beef, pork and poultry production. With beef production, feed intensity was crucial. In the case of pork and poultry production, the quantity of feed used per kg of meat had the greatest influence on environmental impacts. The use of European soya with its shorter transport distances had a positive effect. 

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