Swiss research into agriculture, nutrition and the environment
Agroscope is the Swiss centre of excellence for agricultural research, and is affiliated with the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG). Agroscope makes an important contribution to a sustainable agriculture and food sector as well as to an intact environment, thereby contributing to an improved quality of life.
Agroscope researches along the entire value chain of the agriculture and the food sector. Its goals are a competitive and multifunctional agricultural sector, high-quality food for a healthy diet, and an intact environment. In pursuing these aims, the research institute gears itself to the needs of its service recipients.
Agroscope has outlined 17 strategic research fields for the research and development activities.
Topic-related research across the different sites is of crucial importance here.
Remit: Developing and Transmitting Knowledge
According to Article 113ff of the Law on Agriculture, the Swiss Confederation supports the agricultural sector in its efforts to produce in a streamlined and sustainable fashion by developing and transmitting knowledge. To this end, it runs the agricultural research station Agroscope, which is under the control of the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG). Agroscope is responsible for the following tasks:
- Research and Development in the spheres of agriculture, nutrition and the environment;
- Provision of Decision-Making Bases for public-authority legislation;
- Legal Tasks as part of the statutory requirements in the service of agriculture and the general public;
- Knowledge Exchange and Technology Transfer with practitioners, the advisory sector, industry, science, the teaching sector and the public.
Agroscope is characterised by its combination of research, policy advice, enforcement, knowledge exchange and technology transfer, as well as by its coupling of application-oriented basic research and practical relevance.
Agroscope deals with issues in the following spheres:
- Plant Breeding, Plant Production, Plant Protection and Plant Products;
- Livestock, Feed and Products of Animal Origin;
- Food and Nutrition;
- Cropping Systems, Protection of Natural Resources, Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Engineering.
With sites in Avenches, Changins, Liebefeld, Posieux, Tänikon, Wädenswil and Zürich Reckenholz Agroscope boasts a decentralised infrastructure which also allows regional differences in the agro-environmental system to be taken into account.
