Abstract
Through its membership in the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa (SWISSCO) and the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Coffee (SSCP), FiBL contributes its long-standing, cross-departmental expertise in applied research, capacity building, and food system transformation in the coffee and cocoa sector. Combining agronomic, socio-economic, and participatory approaches, FiBL generates action-oriented knowledge and evidence linking farmer livelihoods, agroecological innovation, and governance challenges across global smallholder coffee and cocoa value chains.
FiBL key focus areas in coffee and cocoa are:
- Agroforestry and innovative cropping practices: FiBL promotes agroforestry as the most promising cultivation strategy for climate-resilient cocoa and coffee production, while developing low-entry threshold solutions to diversify crops within traditional systems across varied cultural contexts. Applied research targets innovative practices such as dynamic shade management, improved pruning techniques, advanced composting, and biochar application, evaluating both the labor requirements and economic viability of these interventions.
- Plant and soil health: To enhance organic pest management strategies, FiBL conducts research into preventive control measures and biological crop protection solutions. A major focus is placed on optimising soil health to boost overall farm resilience and decrease pest pressure. Furthermore, capacity building and applied research regarding the prevention of soil, plant, and end-product residues have become increasingly critical, driving stronger physical traceability and precautionary protocols across organic supply chains.
- Climate resilience, adaptation, and circular economy: FiBL plays an active role in climate change adaptation and prevention of deforestation e.g. through applied research on novel varieties, shifting cultivation zones, and sustainable model farms. Research into composting processing by-products and applying biochar helps lower the carbon footprint of final products while strengthening farm-level climate resilience.
- Smallholder market access, Living Income, and Value Chain Governance: FiBL’s socio-economic research directly links living-income studies to critical social issues including child labor prevention, gender equity, occupational safety, and household nutrition. By combining these social aspects with agronomic evidence, FiBL establishes clear connections between smallholder economic realities, agroecological innovation, and governance challenges across the broader value chain. Another key topic for FiBl is impact of organic regulations on smallholder producer organisations as the basis for policy dialogue and stakeholder action for continued market access for smallholder producers.
