Landscape Design

Over the pastfew months, the OrganicYieldsUP project has had the privilege of engagingdirectly with the people at the heart of our work: the farmers. Through aseries of workshops and farm visits, we set out to discuss strategies foroptimizing yields. What the Swiss group facilitated by FiBL discovered was farmore profound than a simple list of techniques.

The Key Finding: The Greatest Knowledge Hub is the Farmer Communityitself.

It quicklybecame clear that peer-to-peer exchange is one of the most powerful resourcesfor improving on-farm practices. The opportunity to share successes andchallenges builds trust and accelerates learning for everyone. This isprecisely the "multi-stakeholder" approach our project aims tofoster.

"Yield" is more than a Number on a Page

Theconversations within the Swiss farmer group vividly illustrated the holisticview on “what yield means”, showing that yield is shaped by a web ofinterconnected factors:

  • A Balance of Philosophy and Risk: The group discussed how "yield" is     a personal definition, balancing the pursuit of quantity with the need for     stability and quality. This involves a constant assessment of risk, from     trying new crops to managing financial buffers.
  • Soil Fertility as the Foundation: A recurring theme was that all successful     yield strategies are built on the long-term investment in soil health.     This includes the integration of livestock, the use of diverse crop     rotations, and the active management of organic matter.
  • Integrated On-Farm Management: The farmers shared detailed, practical     strategies for managing the entire farm ecosystem. This included     sophisticated discussions e.g. on nutrient cycling through collaborations     with other farms or the critical, ongoing challenge of weed and nutrient     management in organic systems.

This workshopseries perfectly reflects the core philosophy of OrganicYieldsUP: by bringingscience and practice together, we can co-create sustainable solutions that makeEuropean organic farming more resilient.

We want toextend a sincere thank you to all the participating farmers for their time andenthusiasm!