Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL a republié ceci
Some farmers in Switzerland have already realised that one cannot go on with ‘business as usual’. Rising temperatures due to climate change make it more difficult to grow potatoes, beets or maize, the large water-intensive monocultures on which Swiss agriculture has relied for years. Harvests are poorer due to drought and unstable weather. Legumes, on the other hand, are drought-resistant, need little water and nourish the soil naturally. This is why lentils, chickpeas and lupins have long been cultivated in the Mediterranean region and warm countries. Now a group of Swiss farmers and scientists see an opportunity to cultivate these plants in Switzerland as well in order to resist climate change and reduce dependence on increasingly unsustainable proteins such as those derived from meat and cheese. Introducing relatively new crops into a new environment (certain types of lentils were already grown in Switzerland in the past) is not easy. It requires a lot of patience, several trials and the painstaking search for the best varieties for the Swiss soil and climate and the most efficient cultivation, harvesting and processing techniques. Although the road is still uphill, these farmers, scientists and plant breeders believe they will make it. "We are close," one of them told us. I wish them good luck and hope that their efforts will take them far! I thank Stephan Gysi, Sebastian Kussmann, Christine Arncken, Melanie Rediger, Filippo Carmenati, Christine Scheiner, Yannik Schlup, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, gzpk Getreidezüchtung Peter Kunz for their valuable contributions to this article and video! Read the full story here: