1. Bern University of Applied Sciences
  2. School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL
  3. Research
  4. Research areas
  5. Regional economics and regional development
See table of contents See table of contents

Regional economics and regional development

Our main area of research is the development and management of agricultural and rural areas.

Overview

We focus intensively on the formulation of agricultural and food strategies, regional development projects, agritourism and general agricultural and agri-food value creation systems.

We also conduct research on the on-farm and rural integration of renewable energies, particularly in non-residential areas, as part of the energy transition. Here, our main emphasis is on photovoltaic and agrivoltaic systems.  

We study the sustainable development of food systems and the role of agriculture in the circular economy as cross-cutting topics. We analyse the challenges facing the farm sector, value chains, the cantons and, more broadly, the regions in these fields of activity. We offer various methodologies which enable these challenges to be addressed in close cooperation with all stakeholders.

Thematic areas of regional development
Thematic areas of regional development

Services

We work with a range of partners, including farming businesses, companies, public authorities, other universities and research institutes, regions, tourist destinations and our colleagues at BFH-HAFL. Together, we offer an extensive portfolio of services: 

  • Support for the development of local, cantonal and regional agricultural and food strategies. 
  • Analyses and planning of agricultural diversification strategies (distribution, direct marketing, agritourism, energy).  
  • Evaluation of legal and regulatory frameworks applicable to relevant areas of public policy, with a particular focus on agriculture, energy, regional planning/development, innovation, and conservation of natural resources, e.g. water, forests, biodiversity, environment and landscape. 
  • Evaluation of projects and public policy measures. 
  • Spatial analyses. 
  • SWOT analyses and market research, e.g. to identify the potential for rural tourism or the development of electromobility. 
  • Agricultural and regional marketing, e.g. in relation to regional agriculture, agritourism and agriculture-related cuisine.  
  • Development of regional projects / promotion of transboundary regional cooperation. 
  • Analyses of regional value chains and development of appropriate strategies. 
  • We are responsive to our clients’ requirements and engage with new fields of study and research relating to our main topics in order to offer optimised support.  
  • Our activities are embedded in the following disciplines: Institutional and Organisational Economics, Macro-Economics, Management and Marketing, Economic Geography, Regional Planning, Regional Development, Rural Economics and the Agri-Food Industry, Environmental Economics, Renewable Resources

Projects

Decarbonisation of the energy system can only be implemented efficiently if enough renewable energy projects (REPs) are realised before 2050. However, many of these projects face significant implementation problems due to a lack of coordination between the various existing policy measures. The large number of legal challenges demonstrates that these projects may conflict with environmental, landscape, land-use, water or cultural heritage policies. This research project aims to identify necessary and sufficient conditions for inter-policy coordination that facilitates the realisation of eight local REPs. 

This research project aims to identify psychosocial success factors and stumbling blocks (conflict lines) based on value and belief systems in order to offer potential solutions for the successful start-up and operationalisation of new projects in the field of Community-Supported Agriculture (Solidarische Landwirtschaft – Solawi). The findings are intended to show how interested members of the public can work with engaged farmers to set up and operate profitable projects of their own. BFH-HAFL provides scientific and methodological support to project manager Barbara Eiselen. 

As part of a partnership with CasAlp, BFH-HAFL developed proposals to improve direct marketing of the Swiss cheeses Berner Alpkäse and Hobelkäse AOP. The aim, firstly, was to produce targeted proposals to reduce the workload for direct marketers and, secondly, to professionalise direct marketing as a whole and align it more strongly with consumer needs.  

On behalf of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), BFH-HAFL has analysed to what extent the existing park-specific criteria applied by the Swiss Parks label contribute to the parks’ sustainable development and which additional criteria may be required in order to meet the parks’ long-term objectives. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used for this purpose. In addition to a spatial analysis of site suitability for livestock production in five selected parks, a holistic analysis of the sustainability of 12 farming businesses was produced in two parks using the RISE 3.0 method (Response-Inducing Sustainability Evaluation).

Here, the aim is to develop agricultural and food strategies which are tailored to the specific conditions and challenges faced by local authorities whose representatives are involved in the project. A municipal strategy enables services to be targeted to specific objectives; it also facilitates the development of appropriate interventions and action plans. Applying a participatory approach, BFH-HAFL supports the relevant departments by providing a methodological framework for the development of a strategy that safeguards multi-stakeholder coordination and the formulation of a communication and monitoring policy. 

Agritourism offers innovative farming businesses additional earnings potential. As in crop and livestock production, quality is increasingly a requirement in agritourism. Visitors are prepared to pay proportionately higher prices for real farm offers with high-quality infrastructure on site. The AgrotourismeQ project analyses international quality standards in agritourism and provides farmers and agricultural training institutions with an e-learning website as a self-directed training platform for promoting quality in agritourism. 

Here, the aim is to develop agricultural and food strategies which are tailored to the specific conditions and challenges faced by cantons whose departments are involved in the project. A cantonal strategy enables departmental services to be targeted to specific objectives; it also facilitates the development of appropriate interventions and action plans. Applying a participatory approach, BFH-HAFL supports the cantonal departments by providing a methodological framework for the development of the strategy. It also safeguards multi-stakeholder coordination and is formulating a communication and monitoring policy in order to measure progress and the strategy’s effectiveness. 

Contact & Team

Are you interested in working with us or would you like to know more about our research activities in the field of agricultural marketing and regional economics? Please contact us.