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HAFL Hugo P. Cecchini Institute – Annual Event 2025 Cooperatives for a Better World: Driving Innovation, Fostering Inclusion and Increasing Impact

Diverse voices from academia, the private sector, policy makers, civil society, international organisations, and the general public meet for this free event. Registration required.

10.06.2025, 13.30–17.30 Uhr – BFH-HAFL, Länggasse 85, 3052 Zollikofen, Switzerland, and online (limited)

Steckbrief

  • Startdatum 10.06.2025, 13.30–17.30 Uhr
    In Kalender eintragen
  • Ort BFH-HAFL, Länggasse 85, 3052 Zollikofen, Switzerland, and online (limited)
  • Anmeldefrist 03.06.2025
  • Kosten Free

Inquiries

The Cecchini Institute Annual Event takes place every June and focuses on the latest topics relevant to agricultural, forest and food sciences.

This year’s event, on Tuesday 10 June, focuses on “Cooperatives for a Better World: Driving Innovation, Fostering Inclusion and Increasing Impact" in alignment with the 2025 UN International Year of Cooperatives.

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

Our focus is on the current challenges and future potentials of cooperatives. The event will critically examine how cooperatives can:

  1. continue to evolve in response to emerging trends
  2. engage young people in leadership and decision-making
  3. develop stronger ways to measure their broader social and economic impacts. 

We believe these three interrelated themes – navigating climate and technological change, engaging youth, and measuring impact – are essential for ensuring that cooperatives remain dynamic, resilient and relevant in an evolving global landscape.

Discussions explore how cooperatives can attract and retain young members, ensuring generational continuity, and leveraging and promoting innovation. Climate and technological change are examined in terms of both challenges and opportunities, including how cooperatives can adapt to environmental pressures and leverage new technologies for greater efficiency and sustainability. Measuring impact focuses on developing relevant and feasible assessment frameworks that capture the social, economic and environmental contributions of cooperatives, supporting them to demonstrate their value and improve decision-making.

Title

Cooperatives for a Better World: Driving Innovation, Fostering Inclusion and Increasing Impact

Date and time

Tuesday, 10 June 2025, 13:30-17:30, followed by a networking apéro

Location

BFH School of Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences (HAFL), Länggasse 85, 3052 Zollikofen

Format

In-person, with online streaming (except for workshops). One keynote speaker from academia, a panel discussion with four cooperative representatives, and three workshops focussing on the key cooperative themes of Innovation, Inclusion and Impact.

Registration

Registration is required and opens in mid-April. The registration form will be added here.

IYC 2025
Local farmers in a study circle in Mozambique
Niassa is located in the far north of Mozambique; “Away,” say the Niassas themselves. We Effect (the international development organisation of the Swedish cooperative movement) collaborates with local farmers’ organisations in study circles to train the farmers. Improving harvests by around 20 percent can make the difference between hunger and constant anxiety and food security and peace of mind, it also means three meals a day and money for school uniforms and supplies. Image credit: Karin Alfredsson/We Effect.
  12:30 – 13:30   Registration/name tag collection and coffee
  13:30 – 13:35   Welcome from Cecchini Institute Director Zenebe Uraguchi
  13:35 – 13:40   Opening remarks from HAFL Director Ute Seeling and keynote speaker introduction
  13:40 – 14:00   Keynote speech (and time for questions)
  14:00 – 14:50   Panel discussion (and time for questions)
  14:50 – 14:55   Explanation of next steps/workshops
  15:00 – 15:30   Coffee break
  15:30 – 17:00   Workshops
  17:00 – 17:20   Reporting back from workshops
  17:20 – 17:25   Closing remarks from HAFL Deputy Director Peter Spring
  17:25 – 17:30   Presentations and group photos
 

17:30 – 20:00

   Networking apéro in the main foyer

Four panellists representing a private sector cooperative, an industry expert, the UN and a ground-roots cooperative will take part in a moderated panel discussion with time for questions from the audience.

The three 90-minute workshop themes are:

  • W1: Navigating change: Climate change and technological transformation (Innovation)
  • W2: Rethinking tomorrow: Youth and cooperatives (Inclusion)
  • W3: Measuring impacts: Counting more than cash (Impact)

The event will also showcase the breadth of projects and activities of Institute colleagues and HAFL students by incorporating: 

  • A poster gallery of Cecchini Institute projects 
  • Researcher Diaries 
  • Publications 
  • Research outputs 
  • Elements of the Institute’s annual report from 2024