A new national competence network for fruit and berries has been established in Switzerland.
The initiative was launched by theSwiss Fruit Association and Agroscope and is based on the principles of so-called co-creation: different actors from research, practice, education and industry work together to develop new knowledge.
This close cooperation allows the skills, knowledge and resources of the different actors to be combined and expanded(transdisciplinarity).
This starts with the selection of research projects and extends to how the results are disseminated and the solutions developed are implemented.
Manuel Boss, Head of the Competence Area Plants and Vegetable Products at Agroscope, is convinced: "The Competence Network Fruit and berries will accelerate the development of solutions through joint knowledge creation, increase the impact of research in practice and thus benefit all parties involved".
Ernst Lüthi, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Fruit Competence Network and berries, said: "The challenges and problems of the Swiss fruit sector are becoming increasingly complex and require the commitment of everyone and the pooling of expertise. The challenges are ecological, social and economic: consumers demand visually and tastefully impeccable fruit produced to the highest ecological standards and at reasonable cost. And this against the background of climate change, increasing pest and disease pressure and the fact that fewer and fewer effective plant protection products are available.
Around 30 experts from the Swiss fruit sector and other institutions met for a first meeting in Bern. Together they defined, discussed and deepened what they saw as the most relevant and innovative research projects.
Source: Fruchthandel, part of the NCX Media network
