The planet feels the effects of climate change through weather extremes. For growers, this means longer growing seasons, but also greater risks from frost and other weather damage, hotter temperatures, increased drought and more pathogens and pests.
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Biological products have been around for decades, but interest in these plant-based cropping solutions has taken off with increased availability and more growers seeking new crop management options.
At the same time, there is pressure to reduce pesticide use and regulatory barriers that limit new technologies, but consumers still want plentiful, low cost food.
In Switzerland, a small alpine country of 8.7 million people in the heart of Europe, the national agricultural policy to 2050 focuses on food security through sustainable development from production to consumption.
Why it matters: Research and innovation in food production is key to ensure future food security.
“We want to ensure a resilient food supply and with one of the lowest levels of arable land per inhabitant (in the world), it is so critical to keep land for food production and invest in infrastructure for innovation and breeding,” said Christian Hofer, director of the Federal Office for Agriculture.
That’s why the country spends approximately C$295 million annually on agricultural research and advisory services as one of its five major agricultural policy pillars.
One of the institutions benefitting from these funds is the Agricultural Training Centre of St. Gallen in eastern Switzerland. It’s part of a network of agricultural innovation centres that offer training, education and extension services for farmers, as well as agricultural research.
The centre is part of a multi-year national value chain project to identify robust and resilient new varieties of apples, pears, cherries, plums and apricots for the Swiss tree fruit industry.
“We are searching for answers to climate change and to use less pesticides and yet still have fruit that is tasty,” said orchard specialist Richard Hollenstein during a tour of the centre last month.
“Farmers must be prepared to respond to the changing demands of society, politics, the market and the environment, and variety selection is the key to success.”
According to Hollenstein, fruit trees in this region of Switzerland bloom three weeks earlier on average than they did in 1980, which presents greater risk of spring frost damage.
At the same time, summer temperatures in Switzerland are getting warmer. For apples, this means traditional Swiss varieties like Gravenstein don’t redden as they used to, whereas newer varieties are better able to handle the heat.
“These are things growers need to be aware of because consumers have expectations of what an apple should be,” Hollenstein said. “It is our responsibility to find solutions.”
That’s why the search is on for more heat-tolerant varieties that are later-flowering. Researchers are also seeking trees resistant to common challenges like apple scab, fire blight and mildew so growers can meet fungicide reduction goals without affecting production.
Recently planted research orchards include newer commercially available apple varieties with resistance like Bonita from Italy, Ladina from Switzerland and Natyra from the Netherlands, as well as emerging varieties like the French Delcored, the Dutch Freya and the Belgian Giga.
“Climate change is not all bad; it is giving us a lot more options for varieties than we had 30 years ago, but we must react now to be ready for the future,” said Hollenstein.
Disease resistance has also become a top priority for Swiss potato growers and researchers.
“The potato market is hard. We need yield, uniform size, good maturation and processing characteristics and shelf life — and now phytophthora resistance,” explained Benedikt Kogler, plant health specialist. “This was not a priority until now.”
Swiss law prohibits genetic modification, so more time-consuming traditional techniques are used. Only two to three crosses out of 100 attempts are successful, he added.
“In 2024 we had huge problems with phytophthora in Switzerland, but our new trial varieties are still green in the field so this is giving us hope that we have some good varieties.”
His team is also testing niche products to create value-added opportunities for growers, such as sulphur beans. Now considered an heirloom variety, they used to be commonly grown in the region and are known for their flavour.