Agriculture is in the midst of a transition from industrial to smart farming. What sounds like a catchy advertising slogan is, in many areas, a reality. Thanks to the latest technology, the cultivation and rearing of entire crops can be optimized like never before. This digital precision is an opportunity for everyone—for farms, for the environment, and for food security. Switzerland, too, is embracing this latest development in agriculture.

“Pflopf” Project: 25 Percent Less Pesticide Use Through Precision

For six years, 58 farms in the cantons of Aargau, Thurgau, and Zurich tested whether the use of pesticides could be significantly reduced through the use of digital tools, and the result of the “Pflopf” resource project (Pest Control Optimization with Precision Farming) is clear: Through targeted technological measures, the amount of crop protection products used on the participating plots was reduced by an average of 25 percent.

How is that possible? For example, contractor Thomas Haller from Birrhard, Aargau, has been using a crop protection sprayer with individual nozzle shut-off since 2021, thereby achieving significant savings in product usage depending on the shape of the plot. Vegetable grower Thomas Käser from Birmenstorf AG combines a camera-controlled hoeing machine with spot spraying, reducing pesticide use by up to 80 percent for certain crops. Both have also been relying on satellite-based guidance systems for over a decade; these operate with an accuracy of 2.5 centimeters, thereby preventing duplicate applications, for example.

The “Pflopf” project draws a clear conclusion from this: Plant protection remains essential for securing yields and producing high-quality food. So the question is not “if,” but “how”—and that is precisely where the new technologies come in. Precision solutions should and can replace bans: Instead of entire classes of active ingredients being removed from the market across the board, technology allows for minimizing exposure while protecting crops.

Cooperation Models and Economies of Scale in Switzerland and Abroad

The new technologies are powerful, but at times still expensive and demanding to maintain. Precision machinery only pays for itself once a certain level of area productivity is reached. However, as farms in Switzerland are getting larger and field work is increasingly outsourced to contractors, digital technologies are gaining in importance, as reported, for example, by "Schweizer Bauer". One thing is clear, however: collaboration will likely be necessary—among farmers or through contractors who pool the necessary expertise and machinery. In this way, the technology can gain a foothold on large farms and help significantly reduce the use of pesticides.

The Federal Office for Agriculture has recognized this and plans to support contractors in the future through production system contributions as part of the AP 2030+ program.

Cooperative models, however, tend to be the exception in Swiss agriculture. That such models work beyond the mere application of technology is evident in Germany, where farmers are increasingly sharing fields, machinery, and risk, thereby benefiting from economies of scale.

This is particularly evident in the Netherlands: Thanks to a consistent focus on research, innovation, and the targeted use of modern technology, the country has succeeded in producing enormous quantities of high-quality agricultural products on a limited amount of land. The Dutch model is rightly regarded as a role model for agriculture that is both productive and resource-efficient. This example can provide valuable insights, particularly in light of the Swiss debate on economies of scale and the use of technology.

Data Literacy and AgTech Innovations: The Keys to the Future

Precision agriculture relies on data: Satellite images help make field information more widely available, as another article in "Schweizer Bauer" shows. Syngenta demonstrates just how far this can go: Together with the Western Swiss startup Gamaya, an EPFL spin-off, the company has developed a digital tool that detects nematode infestations in the soil using satellite imagery—originally for Brazilian soybean farms, where this pest can cause yield losses of up to 30 percent in some cases. It is an example of how collaborations between agricultural corporations and AgTech startups are producing new, data-driven solutions.

Agricultural journalist Olaf Deininger described precisely this pattern at the swiss-food Talk in April 2023: We are in the midst of a transition from industrial to smart agriculture, where data and algorithms enable precise interventions rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Organic farming pioneer Urs Niggli struck the same note in his opinion piece in the NZZ in August 2026: Deep tech will make agriculture more sustainable through innovation.

The Federal Council also emphasizes that innovation and competitiveness go hand in hand in its recently published report on “Strategy 2050” for the agriculture and food industry: One of the seven objectives is that the Swiss agriculture and food industry should be open to new technologies and take a leading role internationally in environmentally friendly and resource-efficient processes.

The Contribution of the Research-Based Crop Protection Industry to Success

It is also often overlooked that precision application would not be possible without the innovations of research-based crop protection companies: These companies not only discover or design effective molecules or nature-inspired biologics, but also formulate them in a way that makes precise application possible in the first place. The formulation—that is, the composition of the product as used by the farmer—is essential for resource-efficient application, ensuring that the active ingredient reaches its intended target without clogging the nozzles. “Seed treatment” is another form of precision application applied directly to the seeds before planting in the field; it coats the seedling and thus protects it during the first critical weeks.

Keywords: Crop protection · Precision farming · Marsh · Agriculture · Digitalization · Agricultural contractor · AgTech · Professional permit