Into the Fields: Growing Food for Switzerland
Early mornings and muddy boots are the norm for those working to feed Switzerland — and that’s where our journey begins. Like any good adventure, ours kicks off at the crack of dawn — 5:30 a.m. to be precise — on the farm of Laurent Froidevaux, Key Account Manager at Syngenta. That’s the time when the trained agricultural engineer tends to his cows until 8:00 a.m., before heading to the office or out on the road to meet with customers.
The beauty of this job is that it's constantly changing and you're never in the same place. One day I'm in Ajoie looking at rapeseed. The next day I might be in the vineyards in Concise or tending onions in the Orbe plain.
Just like Laurent, our adventure takes us out on the road to meet our colleagues and their customers in the Swiss countryside — from Jura to Valais to Basel-Land, and into the fields of rapeseed, greenhouses, apple orchards framed by mountain views and steep vineyard slopes. As we journey farther, we step closer to understanding why crop health matters to all of us in Switzerland, and how closely the key planners work together to protect it.
Growing Food Takes a Team
Many members of the Syngenta team, including Laurent, grew up around farming or have spent years working closely with growers. They connect with Swiss farmers on a personal level—walking the fields together, sharing insights, and deciding on the best steps to keep crops healthy throughout the season, with the ultimate goal of ensuring a stable harvest.
For Ward Clevers, Syngenta Commercial Lead Switzerland, the heart of it comes down to the trust shared between Swiss farmers and Syngenta.
“There is so much trust between our commercial team and the farmers they look after. They work together for the yield of Swiss agriculture. That's what pleases me most: the passion of our people.”
Ward couldn’t pay his team a greater compliment, and when you step into the fields, the apple orchards, or the vineyards, it’s easy to see what he means. The challenges farmers face are real: pests, diseases, and increasingly unpredictable weather. Vegetables, in particular, are sensitive to extreme conditions. In especially wet seasons, harvests can drop sharply, increasing Switzerland’s reliance on imports.
To manage these challenges sustainably and profitably, Swiss farmers need reliable tools—including crop protection solutions that help safeguard yields. This is where farmers put their trust in Syngenta, and where we work to diversify our portfolio of crop protection solutions made available to our customers. It takes innovation, dedication, and, as you’ll find out, lots of paperwork.
Bigger decisions, shrinking options… and plenty of paperwork
Deciding which crop protection products to use is a high-stakes process for farmers and involves carefully balancing effectiveness, environmental impact, and costs. Syngenta’s Swiss commercial team brings their expertise and extensive knowledge of available crop protection products to aid in that decision-making process. This requires a relationship based on trust — especially because the range of available solutions in Switzerland is steadily shrinking.
For every new product, Syngenta must submit extensive data to the Swiss authorities to demonstrate that it is safe — for farmers, consumers, and the environment. It’s a complex and lengthy process. Developing a new active ingredient and generating the required studies can take up to 10 years before a dossier is ready for submission. After that, it may take another 3 to 10 years for the product to be approved. “When something new finally reaches the Swiss market, the feedback from farmers is overwhelmingly positive,” says Susanne Bühler, Head of Crop Protection Regulatory for Switzerland. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen as often anymore.”
“There are many gaps in crop protection, especially for niche crops. We try to help where we can, but that's not always possible.”
Necessity sparks ingenuity
Syngenta’s expanding range of biologicals is a great example of bringing a fresh, innovative approach to Swiss farmers. “We’re seeing real interest in trying new approaches in Swiss agriculture,” says Simon Hug, Key Account Manager and Sales Director for Syngenta in German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino.
These nature-inspired solutions help strengthen plants, improve nutrient uptake, and make crops more resilient to weather extremes, pests, and diseases. For example, biologicals can help fight powdery mildew in vineyards, while others support nitrogen fixation and better nutrient absorption. Used alongside conventional crop protection, biologicals are an important complementary tool in an integrated approach to farming. And even though we’re still at the beginning of the journey, we’ve already learned a lot.
“Being open to learning is key for all of us. It’s how we progress from year to year, how we grow together, and how we can produce food that is truly valued in Switzerland,” concludes Simon Hug.
“You never know all the answers and solutions to every problem. But that's what makes farming and my job extremely exciting.”
