Advantages and conflicts of interest between cultures in Switzerland

A long-term study carried out by Agroscope made it possible for the first time to experimentally study the strengths and weaknesses of four different arable cropping systems from an ecological, agronomic and economic point of view. In terms of ecosystem services, organic farming is winning on all fronts. However, it lags behind conventional agriculture in terms of yield, indicates a press release from Agroscope on September 2, 2021 (photo Agroscope). In Switzerland, organic food is on average 50% more expensive than conventional food. However, until now, it has not been possible to precisely quantify the benefits of organic products for the environment. Today, a team of researchers led by Agroscope is able for the first time to provide such figures. In a trial lasting over ten years, they systematically determined the impacts of four different cropping systems (from conventional cultivation with plowing to organic cultivation with reduced labor of soil; see below) on the ...