Together with Swiss Mountain Aid, we support projects run by active farmers or farming communities in mountain areas.

fenaco has been partnering the Swiss Mountain Aid organisation since 2015. Through it, we support projects run by active farmers or farming communities in mountain areas. We’ve supported ten major projects in the last ten years, providing Swiss Mountain Aid with a total of CHF 1 million in support. The projects involved various agriculture-related sectors, in particular forestry, the dairy industry and grain production. 

All the mountain aid projects strengthen value creation in the mountain regions. One example is the heating system that forms part of the Finsterwald district heating network in canton Lucerne, to which fenaco provided support in 2015. As a result, residual wood can now be purchased from 900 forest owners, 90% of whom are farmers, thus guaranteeing them an additional long-term income stream. Other projects, like the new Fromagerie d’Anniviers dairy in Valais, which received financial assistance in 2017, also play a role in preserving the alpine cultural landscape. Thanks to an attractive milk price, the dairy has been able to contribute to the restoration of agricultural land throughout the valley, especially the meadows and pastures that are essential for feeding cows. All of these projects also help to retain attractive jobs in the mountain regions or to create new ones. For example, two additional full-time equivalent positions have been created at the Hohgant dairy’s second cheese ageing facility in Schangnau, canton Bern, to which fenaco provided support in 2023. 

Schweizer Berghilfe website (in German and French only)