Conthey VS – On behalf of Schweizer Hagel, Fenaco and the farmers’ association, Agroscope has conducted a study on the state of domestic arable farming. Various measures are proposed in order to achieve the goal of climate resilience by 2035.
Swiss arable farming should be climate-resilient by 2035. In order to achieve this goal, Agroscope, the competence center for Swiss agriculture, has been commissioned to draw up a study on the current situation and a catalog of measures. According to a press release, Agroscope has documented the current state of knowledge and practices in arable farming on behalf of Schweizer Hagel, Fenaco and the Swiss Farmers’ Association. The aim of the project was to use these analyses to develop proposals for possible agricultural practices. These include the preservation of climate-resilient arable soils through optimal humus build-up, the use of drought- and heat-tolerant varieties, climate-adapted cultivation systems and methods such as agroforestry or the use of mixed seeds.
In future, irrigation should only be an option in regions where lakes, large rivers or extensive groundwater resources are available. From an economic point of view, irrigation will probably only be worthwhile for vegetables, potatoes, fruit, berries and vines in the future, according to the press release.
In order to protect agriculture, crop insurance could help to cushion the financial losses caused by crop failures in years with severe weather extremes. ce/ww
