The fenaco cooperative works with various organisations at a regional and national level. The overview below highlights a selection of our key partnerships
Agroscope
Agroscope is the Swiss centre of excellence for agricultural research and is part of the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG). It employs around 1,000 people at 12 locations throughout Switzerland. One of the projects on which fenaco is working with Agroscope seeks to control harmful grubs using beneficial fungi. The goal is to introduce new production and application processes.
crop.zone
crop.zone GmbH was founded in 2019. Its experienced team has a broad background in agricultural engineering, start-ups, development, licensing and authorisation. crop.zone aims to develop new methods as alternatives to conventional plant protection and to make them commercially available.
ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich is one of the best universities in the world and one of the leading universities on the European continent. It attracts thousands of students and hundreds of professors from over 100 countries. fenaco has been supporting the Chair of Molecular Plant Breeding at ETH Zurich since 2015.
Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST)
The Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences develops sustainable solutions for the industrial, service and agricultural sectors. It employs around 50 people at its campuses in Rapperswil, Buchs and St. Gallen. As part of an Innosuisse project, fenaco is working with the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences and other partners on sustainable weed control using drones and agricultural robots.
The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL)
fenaco and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) entered into a strategic partnership in 2020. FiBL is one of the world's leading research institutes for organic agriculture. FiBL's strengths lie in interdisciplinary research, innovation in collaboration with farmers and the food sector, and rapid knowledge transfer. The institute employs a total of 280 staff at its various locations.
PestiRed
PestiRed is a resource programme launched by the Federal Office for Agriculture. It aims to test new practices to reduce the use of crop protection products on agricultural land by 75%. fenaco has been a partner in the PestiRed project since 2019. A total of 68 farms in the cantons of Solothurn, Vaud and Geneva are participating in this programme, which will run until 2027.
Swiss Mountain Aid
Schweizer Berghilfe (Swiss Mountain Aid) has been helping the population in the Swiss mountain regions since 1943. It supports projects that create jobs and add value in the mountain areas. In this way, it helps to counteract migration away from mountain communities and ensures that they will continue to thrive in the future. fenaco is a partner of Schweizer Berghilfe.
To the website of Swiss Mountain Aid
Schweizer Tafel
Schweizer Tafel (Swiss Table) helps alleviate poverty in Switzerland by distributing food. It collects about 16 tons of food a day from producers, wholesalers, retailers and industry. These goods are then redistributed free of charge to social institutions – shelters for the homeless, soup kitchens, emergency accommodation and other relief organisations – and to food banks.
Tischlein deck dich
Tischlein deck dich saves food from destruction and distributes it to people affected by poverty throughout Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein. Its 133 distribution points serve around 20,000 people in need every week. In this way, the organisation makes a socially meaningful and ecologically sustainable contribution to creating a less wasteful attitude to food.
To the website of Tischlein deck dich
YASAI
YASAI revolutionises the way food is produced in the 21st century. Based on a circular economy, the ETH Zurich spin-off offers "Vertical Farming as a Service" – a turnkey solution enabling customers to create, operate and market their own vertical farms and products. YASAI empowers its customers to grow more with less and contributes to the creation of circular food production systems in cities and regions lacking sufficient agricultural resources such as fresh water or fertile arable land.
