Activity report 2014 Activity report 2014 www.fibl.org Research Institute of Organic Agriculture – Switzerland, Germany and Austria FiBL Switzerland in Frick FiBL Germany in Frankfurt A66 Ludwig-Landm. Str. Leipziger Strasse U 6/7 A66 Miquelallee Bahnhof Frankfurt West S 3/4/5/6 A648 Westkreuz Messe Frankfurt Haupt- bahnhof FiBL Austria in Vienna Rathaus Editorial Cheap food has too high a cost 1 Soil Sciences Using microorganisms specifi cally for plant nutrition 2 Josefstädterstraße Straßenbahnstation der Climate Sustainability Sustainability assessment has market potential 4 Linien 1 / 2 / 71 / D Doblhoffgasse 7/10 Name: Crop Sciences Making urban parks and soccer fi elds “green” 6 Stadiongasse/Parlament Livestock Sciences “Broad-leaved dock was a major surprise” 8 Socio-Economics Food waste, world food supply: Reckonings of global issues 10 Extension, Training and Communication Soil preparation: Less is ever more 12 International Cooperation “Innovations? An insecticide made from oil and chilli peppers, for example” 14 Quality Assurance Organic and from the region – for sure! 16 Environmental Education Diversity at nursery schools 18 FiBL Austria – Projects Organic excellence from fi eld to fork 19 Volkstheater FiBL Switzerland Chronology and fi nances 21 FiBL Switzerland Foundation Council members 24 FiBL Switzerland Clients and donors 26 FiBL Switzerland Employees 28 Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Switzerland FiBL Switzerland Education 30 Ackerstrasse 113, P.O. Box 219, CH-5070 Frick FiBL Germany Chronology and fi nances 31 Telephone +41 (0)62 865 72 72, Fax +41 (0)62 865 72 73 [email protected], www.fibl.org FiBL Germany Board 33 FiBL Germany Clients and donors 34 Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Germany FiBL Austria Chronology and fi nances 35 P.O. Box 90 01 63, D-60441 Frankfurt am Main Visitors adress: Kasseler Straße 1a, D-60486 Frankfurt am Main FiBL Austria Board 36 Telephone +49 (0)69 713 769 90, Fax +49 (0)69 713 769 99 FiBL Austria Employees 37 [email protected], www.fibl.org FiBL Austria Clients and donors 38 Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Austria FiBL Switzerland, Germany and Austria Support FiBL 39 Doblhoffgasse 7/10, A-1010 Wien Telephone +43 (0)1 907 6313, Fax +43 (0)1 907 6313 20 Weblinks and Imprint 40 [email protected], www.fibl.org Editorial Cheap food has too high a cost Dear Reader, ganic farms sport healthy cows with in farming has been a model of success good milk yields without resorting to as classic economies of scale have dra- The topics the organic farming move- antibiotics. matically lowered the cost base per unit ment has been putting on the agenda for Many labels placed on non-organical- of food produced. Other sectors of the many years have now reached the core ly produced foods promise sustainable economy also benefit from this devel- of general agricultural research. This production; consumer awareness is opment as people have more disposable is evident in areas such as soil fertility, high. Many of these label programmes income at hand to spend on consumer biodiversity, groundwater protection, are, however, too one-dimensional. In goods and services. animal welfare, animal health, interre- fact, they reveal that sustainability is While the scientific community has al- lationships between nature conserva- more than just a question of produc- ready been anticipating many ecological tion and agriculture, and the enormous tion techniques: No-till cropping of concepts, progress in the world of com- cost to society of intensive farming genetically modified Roundup-ready mercial farming and food processing practices. soya beans in Brazil and Argentina, for has been hesitant. In this respect, organ- In defining their own standards, such example, may well combat soil erosion ic labels are an important tool for those as GlobalGAP, supermarket chains and in the short term, but the gigantic mono- consumers who do not want to wait any their major suppliers have made it clear cultures continuously face new prob- longer. But society at large can only pro- that pesticide residues in foods are un- lems from pathogens, invincible weeds gress if the external costs of cheap food desirable, a stance that has very much and soil compaction. And so the chemi- are finally taken into account instead of accelerated developments in organic cal warfare continues. Organic farming, the coming generations being burdened crop protection methods. Industry in- in contrast, benefits from a holistic, sys- with them. According to a 2014 FiBL terest in the international Annual Bio- tems approach. Robust production sys- study on behalf of the FAO, the global control Industry Meeting in Basel, Swit- tems can only result from growing a di- full costs of food waste amount to about zerland, which is organized by FiBL, has versity of crops, from integrating resting USD 2.6 trillion per year. The produc- increased considerably. phases in the form of grass-clover leys tion of such “waste” also gives rise to ex- Society’s reaction to the dangers asso- for livestock, and from recycling organic ternal costs. A further study produced ciated with the use of antibiotics in the material such as farmyard manure and by FiBL Austria in 2013 has shown farming sector remains inept, while compost back into the soil. that organic farming can markedly re- medical doctors are already warning Global agriculture is in the process of duce these costs. In the years to come, about the repercussions for human discovering the organic farming model. FiBL will be as concerned with the true therapy of antibiotics-resistant patho- If external costs are not taken into ac- cost of agriculture and thus with the gens. This is another area where FiBL count, it appears at the surface to be a cost of good, healthy diets as with sci- has operational solutions at hand; in costly step to take. At the economic lev- entific-technical innovation in organic dairy farming for example, the best or- el, industrialization and specialization farming. Urs Niggli, Robert Hermanowski, Andreas Kranzler, Director FiBL Switzerland. Managing Director FiBL Germany. Managing Director FiBL Austria. Activity report | 2014 1 In her Master thesis project, Carla Mosimann developed an assay method for monitoring the persistence of the bacteria in the soil. Using microorganisms specifically for plant nutrition Soil microorganisms play a key role in plant nutrition. Bacteria and fungi are capable of making phosphorus and nitrogen available to plants. Microorganism preparations as well as plant and compost extracts, or "bioeffectors", are known as plant boosters in the industry. As part of an EU-funded project, FiBL soil scientist Cécile Thonar is investigating the potential of bioeffectors for organic agriculture. What are the goals of the European will be studied in detail in the project What roles does FiBL have in this pro- ”Biofector“ project? as a whole. At FiBL we are focusing on ject? Cécile Thonar: There are a great many seven materials. We are testing the products in container plant boosters on the market nowadays. trials with maize in different soils. For But when it comes to which crops and To what extent are the products al- example, one product turned out to have which soils these materials should be ready being used in actual practice? a clear yield-enhancing effect in soils used on and how they work, we still do In Switzerland, such products are being with low pH values and low phosphorus not know much. We want to find out used chiefly in vegetable production, in levels. In the field trials, the differences what contribution such products can nurseries, or on golf courses at the pres- that we obtained were less clear-cut than actually make towards a resource-con- ent time. A few farmers are using them those obtained by our colleagues in Italy serving agriculture. The Biofector pro- as well. The materials are still relatively and Romania. ject is broad in scope and is combining expensive and their efficacy is depend- In the first year, in the scope of her Mas- the know-how of research groups and ent upon many factors which have yet to ter thesis Carla Mosimann developed a manufacturers in Europe for the first be studied systematically. A few dozen molecular biology assay method with time. Although we are working on the microorganism preparations and plant which the persistence of inoculated fundamentals and studying the modes boosters are listed in the FiBL inputs bacteria can be monitored in the soil. of action, we are also testing products list, meaning that they are approved for With this method it is possible to es- for maize, wheat and tomatoes under organic agriculture. tablish whether the inoculated bacteria field conditions. Around forty products can compete with the microorganisms originally present in the soil and wheth- er they are effective. We are also investi- 2 Activity report | 2014 Soil Sciences | FiBL Switzerland FiBL is testing various bioeffectors in container and field experiments with maize. gating whether the biodiversity of native Biochar: Charcoal is not just charcoal mycorrhizal fungi is adversely impacted Carbonized organic matter or charcoal was once used by farmers by the application of the bioeffectors. in the humid tropics of South America, Africa and Southeast Asia specifically to improve the soil, in which case it is also known as biochar. This traditional technique was eventually forgotten. A What potential do bioeffectors have few years ago, however, it was rediscovered by researchers and for organic agriculture? is now being studied more closely. In addition to yield increase, I see good possibilities for the short- the focus nowadays is on the contribution of biochar to reducing term, especially in nutrient-poor soils. global warming. Once applied, biochar remains in the soil for A similar project under the name COM- up to 2000 years and could thus serve as an efficient carbon sequesterer with positive impacts on soil fertility.