International Symposium on Work in Agriculture
The latest international research on the challenges of work in agriculture will be presented and discussed at Zollikofen near Bern from 7 to 10 July 2026. Agroscope will be attending as co-organiser and will present its own research.
The third International Symposium on Work in Agriculture (ISWA 2026) brings together experts from around the globe to the School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL at Zollikofen near Bern. The conference combines three events in one: the ISWA, the annual meeting of the Cecchini Institute (HAFL) and the 25th Colloquium of Labour Science in Agriculture (AKAL – Arbeitswissenschaftliches Kolloquium).
Strengthening dialogue between researchers, practitioners and policy makers
The symposium will focus on the current challenges facing those who work in agriculture, including attractiveness of the profession, health and safety, skills shortages and the impacts of digitalisation and structural change. Researchers at Agroscope will contribute topics, content and current research results to various working groups:
- Katja Heitkämper and Marianne Cockburn: The impact of digitalisation on agri-food labour and production systems
- Rita Saleh: Assessing and Interpreting Farm Workload: Pathways, Practices and Perspectives
- Linda Reissig: Landscapes and lifescapes of support
The programme also includes keynote speakers Taetske Bakker (CIRAD), Eva-Marie Meemken (ETH Zürich) and Oliver Stäter (Universität Kassel), a panel discussion on women in agriculture, and excursions focussing on key issues affecting farm work in Switzerland.
By providing a forum to discuss international research, the joint conference aims to foster exchange between researchers, practitioners and policy makers and find new solutions to address the future challenges of work in agriculture.
Register by 15 June at https://www.conftool.com/iswa2026/index.php?page=index
Place
BFH-HAFL, Zollikofen near Bern, Switzerland
Organisers
- IAWA International Association on Work in Agriculture
- HAFL Cecchini Institute
- AKAL Fachausschuss Arbeitswissenschaften im Landbau des Fachbereichs Max-Eyth-Gesellschaft Agrartechnik im Verein Deutscher Ingenieure VDI (Committee of Labour Science in Agriculture of the Max Eyth-Society for Agricultural Engineering)
Date / time
07.07.2026 - 10.07.2026
Languages
German, English
Further information
Index
Read more
WhatsApp channel for practitioners
Aimed at agricultural practitioners, the information is shared on our WhatsApp channels 'Agroscope_fr' (French) and 'Agroscope_de' (German).