The OH-FINE project, a European initiative focused on building a strong network for knowledge exchange among organic farmers, has successfully completed its third cross visit. The project, which is designed to tackle the challenges of converting to organic farming and to foster innovative cultivation and marketing methods post-conversion, brought together almost 50 participants from nine European countries for this latest excursion.
Celebrating progress and planning the next stages
On the first day, the official review meeting was held, attended by OH-FINE project partners, the project officer from the European Commission and external reviewers. A general assembly followed on the second day. On both days, the focus was on reviewing the work accomplished at the end of the first reporting period, the problems encountered and overcome, and planning next steps. Furthermore, project officer Céline Choquer gave a presentation on 'Maximising the impact of your project'.
Discovering Swiss organic farming
Days three and four were dedicated to the cross visit, during which farmers and advisors from partner countries explored innovations and shared their knowledge. The day started with a presentation on key-facts about organic agriculture in Switzerland. After that, Pascal Nägele, farm manager of the FiBL farm, gave insights on life as a farmer working closely with a research institute. Simultaneously, Meike Grosse, scientist in the FiBL department of soil sciences, led a tour to FiBL's experimental arable farming plots.
In the afternoon, the group arrived at Tannenhof Möhlin, where farm managers Hans and Käthi Metzger and their son and successor David greeted the group for the second farm visit. The family has been running the Tannenhof farm according to organic principles with a Bio Suisse licence since 2015 (Bio Suisse is the umbrella organisation for Swiss organic farmers). They now cultivate over 20 hectares of arable crops, including winter linseed, winter rapeseed, winter wheat, soya beans and buckwheat.
On the fourth and final day, members of the OH-FINE network got to see the renowned DOK trial, which is the world's most important long-term field trial comparing organic and conventional farming systems, located near Basel. Established in 1978, it has been jointly managed by FiBL and Agroscope ever since, with support from a farmers' advisory group.
Afterwards, the group stopped by the neighbouring Birsmattehof for a final farm visit. The farm's coordinator, Alexander Tanner, and his daughter Lara, who is responsible for the farm's greenhouses, gave a tour of the premises. A notable feature of the farm is the Agrico cooperative, which has over 1,000 members and an additional farming location in Germany. Known for their subscription-based vegetable baskets, with 150 depots in and around Basel, they promote local and seasonal vegetable consumption in accordance with Bio Suisse standards.
The OH-FINE excursion concluded with a reflection session back at the FiBL campus. Following the initial project phase, the network is now one step closer to achieving its goal of empowering European farmers by promoting and sharing sustainable organic farming knowledge and solutions that align with farmers' capabilities, consumer demands and evolving trends in the food industry.
Further Information
Contacts
Links
- oh-fine.eu: Project website
- fibl.org: The FiBL farm
- fibl.org: The DOK trial
- birsmattehof.ch: Website Birsmattehof
- biofarm.ch: Portrait of the Tannenhof