Swiss agriculture is under increasing pressure due to international competition, changing consumer needs, declining margins and a changing environment. Although the competitiveness of traditional agricultural production is declining, examples of innovative farmers show that niche products and diversification strategies can open up new markets. In order to further expand this possibility, the Geography of Food group intends in this project to develop a web tool, the so-called AgroInnoTool. The AgroInnoTool is intended to enable farmers to identify suitable production possibilities for niche products or innovative production options after entering various parameters (location, resources, current activities, interests, etc.). In addition, the AgroInnoTool serves as an exchange platform between producers of innovative products and market players in order to simplify cooperation and the exchange of knowledge and experience.
Partnerships with various institutions and actors are planned for the development and implementation of this project. In cooperation with the three Swiss competence networks (Cluster food & nutrition, Swiss Food Research and Kompetenznetzwerk Ernährungswirtschaft), a workshop was held at the end of 2017 to identify existing needs and discuss possible applications. This guarantees a practical and realistic project implementation with the greatest possible use of the end product.