Agricultural research supports an agriculture which produces healthy foodstuffs and preserves a life worthy landscape.
Research further takes care of the Swiss cultural landscape which will continue being the living and working space for the rural population and whose importance for recreation and tourism is growing constantly.
Agricultural research pursues those goals actively by working out the fundamental decisions for the development and the consequent continuation of the agrarian policy. Basic idea of these research activities is sustainability. These lie within the influence of the three dimensions of sustainability: the economic, the ecological and the social dimensions.
Knowledge remains a key factor in guaranteeing that agriculture is competitive. Society as a whole expects a lot from the agricultural sector as a supplier of foodstuffs, a consumer of natural resources and the main sector in the economy which shapes and designs the landscape. Agriculture therefore has to be able to count on independent research which is focussed on serving the interests of society and works tightly with advisory services.
