Pesticide-free but not organic: Switzerland offers an alternative pathway to wean agriculture off chemicals
Getting farmers to switch to organic farming is hard. Could giving up pesticides while still being able to use synthetic fertilisers help them to make the transition? Three years ago, pesticides took centre stage in Swiss political discourse. Under the country’s direct democracy system, citizens had the opportunity to vote for a complete ban on the use of pesticides and make the Alpine nation a 100% organic-farming oasis. However, when the votes were counted in June 2021, the pesticide initiative failed to win a majority, with only 40% in favour. The Swiss people were not ready for a revolution just yet. But a quiet revolution was already under way. Since 2019, the Swiss Association of Farmers Practising Integrated Agriculture (IP-Suisse), a sustainable farming movement with a membership of about 18,500, has offered a 30% premium for member farmers who grew wheat without resorting to pesticides but did not go organic. This includes no restrictions on the use of fertilisers. The ...