Permaculture

To advance research into permaculture for use in agriculture and forestry on the one hand, and to be able to offer learning and showcase examples on the other, two permaculture teaching gardens have been set up at BFH-HAFL since mid-2017. By early 2023, the construction work will be completed and scientific monitoring started.

Action

• Conduct teaching events and student projects
• Scientific monitoring of soil, biodiversity and yields/system services
• Participation of students and staff in the development process and in workshops
• Guide to and information on the plots
• Documentation of the emergent process as a guide for interested practitioners
• Research into the sociological and economic framework conditions and the inclusion of products in value chains
• Networking with other permaculture actors
• Publications and press articles

Period (planned): 01.04.2020 - 31.05.2023

Pioneer farms in the region have been successfully cultivating existing permaculture areas for several years or are planning initial permaculture elements on their land. The BFH-HAFL Plant Protection and Agroecology Research Group has been supporting a group of these farms since the beginning of 2020. They aim to assume an advisory role in the planning and implementation of permaculture systems or individual permaculture elements, and to investigate both the economic viability of the farms and the effects of permaculture on the environment.

For this latter purpose, two types of insect monitoring are being carried out. Firstly, flying insects are caught with landing nets and the species composition evaluated. This enables us to test the hypothesis that permaculture systems lead to an increase in beneficial insects and a decrease in harmful insects over time. Secondly, ground beetles are caught and the population composition evaluated. Ground beetles are described as bioindicators because they react very quickly to changes in habitats and thus reflect environmental conditions. Here, too, we are investigating whether an increase in species occurring in intact systems can be observed.

Soil monitoring (spade samples, composite samples with subsequent analytical tests in the laboratory) is used to investigate the extent to which soil-building management affects individual soil parameters such as humus content or nutrient stocks. In addition, operational data from the individual farms are evaluated to obtain key economic indicators, such as labour and land productivity, and assess the management of permaculture systems according to economic criteria.

This project aims to investigate, for the first time in Switzerland, the effects of managing farms according to permaculture principles and the potential of permaculture for Swiss agriculture.

Period (planned): 01.04.2020 - 31.12.2025

The demand from farmers for information and advice on permaculture in agriculture exceeds the currently limited supply. BFH-HAFL and the Verein Permakultur-Landwirtschaft aim to close this gap with this project. By creating a central contact point, questions about permaculture in agriculture can be answered. A network of pioneer farms is being established. Professional exchange is being fostered by means of working groups and excursions. The latest research findings are being publicised and knowledge collected is being published in appropriate forms, e.g. in leaflets. Education and training in the field of permaculture complement the offering.

Together with our project partners AGRIDEA, INFORAMA and FiBL, we are encouraging farmers to enter permaculture step by step and to develop the system successfully on their farms. This can make a significant contribution to productive and, at the same time, resource-conserving agriculture. 

Period (planned): 01.08.2021 - 31.07.2025