On alpine pastures, measures for controlling problematic plants are limited. Nevertheless, grazing offers many options, with goats e.g. able to reverse the advance of green alder.
Agroscope’s new 2022–2025 Work Programme aims to strengthen system research and co-create more research with farmers. It is also increasingly guided by the principles of agroecology.
Best4Soil, a network promoting soil health in Europe, is organising the virtual Final Conference on 16 February 2022. The aim is to share information and experiences gathered since the launch of the project in 2018.
Throughout Europe, new solutions for an agriculture of the future are being sought. Agroscope is taking part in the Horizon project SHOWCASE associated with the encouragement of pollinators and beneficial insects and with habitat and species diversity.
The preservation of soil fertility and multiple soil functions faces various challenges both in Switzerland and throughout Europe. A survey carried out in Switzerland among people from practice, government agencies and research highlights problems and possible solutions.
On 16 November, visitors who had previously sent in soil samples as well as decomposed underwear and tea bags to Agroscope found out what became of them. On 25 November, a school class helped to analyse the samples.
Model calculations show how climate change will affect the water requirement for different crops grown on the Swiss Central Plateau. This will allow us to proactively plan for crop irrigation and adaptation to the changing climate.
Calculations carried out by the Swiss Soil Monitoring Network (NABO) over more than 30 years reveal that fertiliser applications and plant-protection products can lead to excess heavy metals in agricultural soils.
