About us
The Institute is named after Hugo P. Cecchini, a former student and long-standing member of staff at BFH-HAFL. His life exemplifies the values and goals of the new Institute: sustainability, cultural diversity and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Find out more about Hugo P. Cecchini here.
The Institute brings together over 50 researchers and members of staff from all BFH-HAFL areas of expertise with international experience in more than 100 countries globally – spanning agricultural, forest and food systems – and thereby offering a holistic approach to addressing some of the most pressing challenges of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and beyond.
As part of our projects, we have partnered with over 70 organisations, including universities, development agencies, other research institutions, vocational schools in Switzerland and abroad, UN agencies, local and international non-governmental organisations, as well the private sector. Our extensive network of partners enables us to collaborate with top industry experts and ensures local participatory approaches that align with the core values and working principles of the HAFL Hugo P. Cecchini Institute.
Memberships
The Institute actively engages in a number of interagency forums and associations to ensure effective knowledge exchange, partnerships and networking opportunities for researchers and collaborators.
We are members of the following forums:
- KFPE – Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries
- SFIAR – Swiss Forum for International Agricultural Research
- FoBBIZ – Swiss Forum for Skills Development and International Cooperation
- Agrinatura – The European Alliance on Agricultural knowledge for Development
- YPARD – Young Professionals for Agricultural Development
- SFRAS – Swiss Forum for Rural Advisory Services
