A Letter of Intent between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley (SFNV) will lay strong foundations for an impactful partnership to scale innovative solutions and drive agrifood systems transformation.

23 August 2024, Vaud – The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, the President of SFNV’s Steering Committee, Marie-France Tschudin, and SFNV’s Chief Executive Officer, Christina Senn-Jakobsen, signed a Letter of Intent to create mechanisms to develop innovative solutions to address the root causes and mitigate the consequences of agrifood systems challenges that currently constrain progress. 

Switzerland’s thriving food ecosystem is developing a wealth of innovations to tackle some of the most pressing global food challenges. FAO and SFNV will establish a closer collaboration in the areas of innovation, healthy diets and nutrition.

The new FAO-SFNV collaboration will focus on:

1. Innovative solutions
Creating a mechanism to identify, develop, refine, and scale innovative solutions in agrifood systems to contribute to healthy diets and nutrition.

2. Addressing healthy diets and nutrition
Targeting issues related to healthy diets for all, nutrition for the most vulnerable, safe food for everyone, and reducing food loss and waste.

3. Leveraging Swiss leadership
Drawing on Switzerland’s strengths in science, technology, innovation business and sustainability to cultivate impactful and scalable solutions for agrifood systems.

4. Promoting inclusivity
Introducing solutions that can be implemented in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, benefiting marginalised groups including family farmers, cooperatives, and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Commenting on the development, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said “We are excited to embark on this collaboration with the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley as it is an important partnership for us as we work together to ensure healthy diets and nutrition for all. By collaborating and leveraging innovative solutions and Swiss expertise, we can be more optimistic about some of the most pressing challenges currently facing global agrifood systems.”

President of the SFNV Steering Committee, Marie-France Tschudin added “To future-proof our food systems, close collaboration between national and international actors is essential. Partnering with FAO will allow us to build bridges and scale solutions that not only tackle global nutrition challenges but also support sustainable development and inclusivity across diverse communities worldwide.”

The Letter of Intent was signed at an event held at Agropole at Molondin, a Vaud-based campus dedicated to shaping the future of food. QU Dongyu, the FAO delegation and colleagues from Switzerland’s Federal Office for Agriculture exchanged with three leading Swiss startups and SFNV Valley partners – CleanGreens Solutions, Vivent Biosignals and Ecorobotix – and received first-hand experience of some Swiss innovative solutions.

About FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations leading international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. FAO’s goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 members – 194 countries and the European Union, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide. The FAO Liaison Office in Geneva, located in the Palais des Nations, is working with Swiss-based partners to achieve FAO’s corporate goal and the wider Sustainable Development Agenda.

Find out more: https://www.fao.org/home/en

About Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley

Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley (SFNV) is a not-for-profit association founded in 2020 that strengthens and promotes food system innovation, both within Switzerland and across the globe. Our diverse network of 150 Valley partners – from global companies, universities, innovation accelerators to government bodies, SMEs and startups – collaborate to address the most pressing challenges in food, agriculture and nutrition, and co-create innovative solutions that drive better planetary and human health.

For more information, interviews or additional photos, contact Laura Robinson, SFNV’s Head of Communications at news@sfnv.ch. 

Never miss a Swiss food innovation morsel.

Latest News

Valley partner Haelixa and regenagri have joined forces to spearhead the advancement of regenerative agriculture. Their innovative approach to monitoring and improving regenerative farming systems and ensuring the integrity of the supply chain using forensic science. Central to this approach is DNA marking and testing, a pioneering technology that transforms the traceability and verification of regenagri-certified products.

Valley partner Haelixa is the first traceability provider approved for the recently launched regenagri Traceability Programme.

Haelixa’s marking and testing involve adding unique, identifiable DNA sequences onto raw materials. These markers can be traced through every stage of the supply chain, ensuring that the raw materials used in regenagri products are genuine and meet stringent standards. The testing method at each node is qPCR, which provides a forensic result. Haelixa’s reports comply with import and export regulations worldwide, providing proof of the product’s origination. The DNA testing by Haelixa provides a reliable third-party method to verify the data supporting the chain of custody.

The collaboration between Haelixa and regenagri sets a new benchmark for regenerative agriculture. By integrating advanced DNA marking and testing technology, this partnership ensures the highest levels of traceability. It supports the integrity of regenagri claims throughout the supply chain, from farms to finished products. This joint effort drives the global movement towards more transparent and resilient agricultural systems, benefiting consumers, farmers, and the environment.

Haelixa is equally committed to enhancing trust and verification across the food and textile industries. “Our DNA technology is designed to provide an unmatched level of assurance regarding the origin of products,” said Gediminas Mikutis, CTO of Haelixa. “Through the partnership with regenagri, we extend these benefits to the regenerative sector, ensuring that certified products are trustworthy and verified.”

Franco Constantini, regenagri CEO, explains that launching the regenagri Traceability Programme represents a significant leap forward in the organisation’s commitment to integrity and transparency. He says, “It addresses the growing demand for rigorous traceability assurance, confirming the origin of regenagri products with unparalleled precision.”

regenagri, in partnership with Haelixa, provides forensic-based and digital traceability solutions, establishing a new industry standard. This demonstrates a commitment to enhancing trust and verification in sustainable farming practices, benefiting consumers, farmers, and the environment.

About Haelixa

Haelixa revolutionises supply chain traceability with Swiss DNA marking technology. The solution ensures complete transparency from raw materials to finished products. Simple and easy to install, Haelixa helps customers comply with regulations, validate product claims, prevent scandals, and maintain brand trust.
https://www.haelixa.com

About regenagri

regenagri® is a global regenerative agriculture framework for securing the health of the land and the wealth of those who live on it. It supports farms and organisations to transition to holistic farming systems that increase soil health, encourage biodiversity, reduce carbon footprint and enhance climate resilience. regenagri® provides standards and digital tools to certify impact and to assure the integrity of regenagri materials from farms to finished products. The regenagri® program is owned and managed by Regenagri C.i.C., a Community Interest Company registered in the United Kingdom.
https://regenagri.org/

Never miss a Swiss food innovation morsel.

Latest News

We recently held our third Impact Forum event, featuring four distinguished speakers who shared their insights on accelerating regenerative farming practices to restore harmony with nature. The event highlighted the urgent need to adopt regenerative agriculture as a solution to live within planetary boundaries. Read on to explore some of the key insights from the event.

Key Takeaways

• Farmer-centric approaches: Success in regenerative agriculture starts with educating and supporting farmers through training, community building, and funding mechanisms.
• Collaboration is key: Effective partnerships among farmers, researchers, companies, and other relevant organizations and associations are vital for accelerating the adoption of regenerative practices.
• Outcome-based measures: Regenerative farming prioritises implementing approaches that improve soil health and biodiversity. While this may lead to a temporary reduction in quantity during the transition phase, over time the system usually becomes even more productive.

Alex von Hettlingen, Regenerative Schweiz 

• Alex von Hetlingen spoke about the importance of farmer education and community support in regenerative agriculture. He spoke about Regenerative Schweiz’s specialised courses for different types of farmers, including arable, vegetable, and forage production.
• He also discussed the key principles of regenerative agriculture: soil biome restoration, plant and animal health, and local nutrient and water cycles.
• Alex emphasised that there is no quick fix, there is a need for soil research, and that there is no regenerative economy without restored soils.

Anita Frehner, FiBL

• Anita Frehner expanded the perspective from production to the entire food system, stressing the importance of policy interventions to support sustainable farming practices through subsidies and legal requirements.
• She spoke about the need for holistic solutions, with the need for reduced food waste and dietary changes alongside changes in farming practices.
• Anita also emphasised the need for collaboration among different sustainable farming practices to achieve broader sustainability goals.

Piera Waibel, Earthworm Foundation

• Piera gave us an introduction to Earthworm Foundation and its regenerative agriculture transition projects. The foundation collaborates with companies to improve their supply chains, focusing on holistic and collaborative methods.
• She spoke about success factors for scaling these kinds of projects, including collaboration across value chains, baseline assessments to determine context specific improvement potential, and funding mechanisms to support farmers during the transition.
• Piera stressed the importance of collective commitment and engagement across the entire value chain. She also shared that transitions should focus not only on environmental outcomes but also consider social aspects like farmer autonomy and resilience.

Philippe Birker, Climate Farmers 

• Philippe Birker highlighted the failures of the current agricultural system, including ecological degradation, economic inefficiencies, and social challenges faced by farmers.
• He discussed Climate Farmers’ key initiatives, including connecting farmers with events and training, policy engagement, and providing practical tools like holistic context assessments, carbon credit schemes, and regenerative agriculture verification to support farmers practically.
• Phillippe highlighted the importance of making farming appealing again through regenerative practices and community support. He called for increased collaboration across the sector, and stressed the importance of data and verification to ensure practices are genuinely regenerative to avoid greenwashing.

Regenerative farming for a healthier future

The event concluded with a Q&A session, where we cleared up a few critical points concerning regenerative vs. organic farming. Regenerative agriculture is outcome-based and focuses on soil health and biodiversity, while organic farming is practice-based with strict input restrictions.

The integration of regenerative farming holds great promise for improving environmental sustainability, food security, and resilience. Collaboration, education, and innovation are key to realising its full potential.

Thanks to everyone who joined us! 

Hungry for more? We’ll be hosting three more Impact Forums on the topics of precision nutrition, sustainable packaging, and sustainable protein in Q3 and Q4. Click on the links to save your space for free.  

Never miss a Swiss food innovation morsel.

Latest News

Despite a reduction in start-up funding in recent years due to challenging economic markets, accelerators continue to provide access to vital networks and resources. The MassChallenge Switzerland 2024 accelerator program connects new companies with industry experts, corporates, and investors to develop and scale their businesses. On the 3rd July, 80 start-ups presented their solutions to corporate partners and experts at Bühler’s CUBIC innovation campus.

“We are thrilled to welcome such an inspiring group of entrepreneurs at Bühler. Collaborating with start-ups exposes us to entrepreneurial young minds, fresh ideas, and emerging technologies, pushing us out of our comfort zones and breaking traditional silos,” said Stefan Scheiber, CEO of Bühler Group. “Engaging with start-ups is essential for driving sustainability and innovation.”

Supporting initiatives like MassChallenge Switzerland enables Bühler to accelerate impact and drive forward the innovative solutions required to meet the needs of a growing global population sustainably.

The early-stage start-ups selected for the 2024 MassChallenge Switzerland come from 37 countries, spanning five continents, and have all committed to sustainability, pitching innovations in food and agriculture, industry and climate, health, nature solutions, and packaging. The solutions proposed by these entrepreneurs are diverse, ranging from combining AI with chemistry to reduce environmental impact in animal farming, risk analytics for biodiversity, robots that harvest and de-leaf plants in high-tech greenhouses, technologies that reduce fermentation time, and biobased materials to substitute plastic in packaging, to ingredients made from microalgae to replace additives (E-numbers).

“MassChallenge Switzerland attracts some the best early-stage start-ups who dare to address global challenges in food tech and other key business areas with breakthrough ideas. The cohort today is another highlight of this program. It is incredibly powerful to witness the fusion of inspiring ideas and entrepreneurship – combined with the valuable support and resources provided by corporate partners – aimed at addressing key challenges for creating a sustainable world for the next generation,” said Ian Roberts, CTO Bühler, Chairman of MassChallenge Switzerland.

For the start-ups, it is an incredible opportunity to access resources, get insights and advice from experts, test their ideas, and be more prepared to address the challenges related to scaling up the business. “It is one of the best events I have participated in so far. The openness, networking opportunities, and access to key leaders from the industry are tremendous,” said Marcin Koziorowski, Co-Founder and CEO of EcoBean, one of the start-ups most voted in the pitching round of the day. EcoBean specializes in turning coffee waste into sustainable chemicals.

About the MassChallenge accelerator programme

During the four months of the MassChallenge acceleration phase, the selected start-ups engage with industry experts, corporates, and investors to refine their businesses while receiving world-class mentoring, free co-working space, numerous key networking opportunities, and the opportunity to explore partnership opportunities.

The accelerator program culminates on October 31, 2024, at the MassChallenge Switzerland Awards Ceremony, when the best start-ups will be awarded up to CHF 1 million in zero-equity prize money, as well as several other in-kind prizes. Since its launch in 2016, MassChallenge Switzerland has accelerated over 720 start-ups, which have collectively raised around CHF 1.2 billion in funding and generated more than 50,000 jobs.

Never miss a Swiss food innovation morsel.

Latest News

Never miss a Swiss food innovation morsel.