Improving mixed farming focusing on innovation and biodiversity
Interview with Tarik Grueter, coordinator of the Swiss network, about where to improve when mixed farming is already the standard in Switzerland
Why is mixed farming and agroforestry important in your region / country?
In Switzerland mixed is the standard. Most of the farms have different production branches like cereals, cattle (milk or meat), special cultures (e.g., berries), etc.
Which changes would you like to see in your region / country as a result of the MIXED project?
We are looking for improvements in two main fields. First, making our system more efficient and profitable by looking for innovations and secondly, we want to improve our system regarding sustainability with a focus on biodiversity.
What results have you achieved and what are the next steps?
We were able to test a new method of deflowering plums on high stem fruit trees on a core farmer’s farm with very interesting results. Further we would like to focus on the exchange with other networks with a visit from the Austrian network and a visit to the Romanian network.