Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL

What Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL does

The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, founded in 1973 in Frick, Switzerland, is a non-profit applied research institute dedicated to advancing organic agriculture through interdisciplinary science, knowledge transfer, and policy advisory. It is structured as a federation of five legally separate national entities (Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, and Belgium) with a Brussels coordination presence, employing 251–500 staff across agronomy, soil science, animal husbandry, socioeconomics, and international development. Its core scientific asset is the DOK long-term farming systems trial, initiated in 1978, which compares bio-dynamic, bio-organic, and conventional cultivation methods and underpins much of the institute's evidence-based advisory work.

FiBL's outputs span peer-reviewed research, practice-oriented guidelines, training, and policy advice, distributed through 650+ publications in 20+ languages, the FiBL Academy, podcasts, and a registration service. The institute runs an active project portfolio, including leadership of EU-funded initiatives under Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, and LIFE, and international development projects in West Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Its business model is non-profit and grant-funded: revenue is generated through public-sector research grants (EU framework programs, national ministries), cost-recovery advisory and contract research for organic-farming associations such as Bio Suisse and BIO AUSTRIA, and paid training via FiBL Academy. The federated five-entity structure allows national-level fundraising while concentrating scientific authority in the Swiss parent, with Strategy 2035 defining the long-term thematic direction across all entities.

Name

Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL

Legal name

FiBL – Research Institute of Organic Agriculture

Website

https://fibl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

FiBL is a Swiss-headquartered non-profit research federation of five European entities that conducts applied research, training, and policy advisory on organic agriculture, serving farmers, certifiers, policymakers, and development programs through 650+ publications and EU-funded projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Life Sciences (Biology, Ecology, Agriculture) Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAC)

Keywords

• Organic agriculture research
• Sustainable farming systems
• Agricultural consulting services
• Soil health research
• Livestock farming research

Headquarters

HQ city

Frick

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Project Funding: FiBL generates revenue primarily through competitive research grants and project funding from public institutions, foundations, and international organizations. The extensive project database shows hundreds of funded projects spanning multiple countries and themes.
2. Publications and Knowledge Products: Sale of publications, reports, and educational materials through the FiBL Shop offering over 650 publications in more than 20 languages. Includes the World of Organic Agriculture annual report series.
3. Seminars and Training: Registration fees for seminars, courses, and training programs. Events include the FiBL Academy offerings, field days, and specialized workshops for agricultural professionals.
4. Consulting Services: Advisory and consulting services for farmers, agricultural businesses, certification bodies, and governmental organizations on organic farming practices and transition.
5. Donations: Voluntary donations from supporters of organic agriculture research and education, processed through the organization's donation system.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FiBL is a non-profit research institute that conducts multidisciplinary research in organic agriculture spanning soil sciences, crop production, livestock systems, sustainability assessment, and international agricultural development. It packages its research into multilingual publications, training programs, advisory services, and international development projects, supported by long-term field experiments including the DOK Trial running since 1978. The institute disseminates knowledge through the FiBL Shop, the FiBL Project Database, the Organic Eprints publication archive, FiBL Academy training, podcasts, and direct consulting for farmers, policymakers, and certification bodies.

Product overview

FiBL operates as a research institute rather than a software product company. Its offerings consist of research services, publication platforms, and educational programs in organic agriculture. The core offerings include the FiBL Shop (over 650 publications), the FiBL Project Database (research project archive), the Organic Eprints publication archive, FiBL Academy (professional training), FiBL Podcast (expert discussions), and FiBL Registration Service (event management via Cvent). Advisory services and extension programs complement the research portfolio across themes including soil, crops, livestock, sustainability, and international agricultural development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FiBL Shop Digital storefront offering over 650 publications and resources in more than 20 languages, available for free download, covering organic agriculture research and expertise for farmers, researchers, and the general public.
• FiBL Project Database Comprehensive searchable database of ongoing and completed research projects across all FiBL locations, covering themes including soil, crops, livestock, sustainability, and international agriculture for researchers, partners, and the public.
• FiBL Publications Archive (Organic Eprints) Open-access archive of FiBL research publications including scientific papers, fact sheets, and project deliverables in organic agriculture and related fields, available to researchers and the public.
• FiBL Academy Training and professional development programs delivering organic farming knowledge, advisory services training, and continuing education for agricultural professionals.
• FiBL Podcast Audio podcast series featuring expert discussions on organic agriculture topics, including the FiBL Focus series and thematic episodes on climate and agroecology, distributed to farmers, researchers, and the public.
• FiBL Registration Service Online seminar and event registration platform powered by Cvent for workshops, courses, and conferences organized by FiBL.
• FiBL Advisory Services Expert consulting services covering organic farming practices across crops, soil, livestock, and sustainability assessment for farmers, agricultural businesses, certification bodies, and government agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• FiBL publications are downloaded for free from the shop in over 20 languages
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AgroscopecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing research collaboration with Agroscope, the Swiss Federal Institute for Agricultural Research, including projects on organic farming, soil science, and sustainable agriculture. Joint projects include Recycle4Bio comparing organic fertilizers.
• BFH-HAFL (Bern University of Applied Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for education and research collaboration in agriculture. FiBL staff have backgrounds from BFH-HAFL, and the institution serves as a talent pipeline for organic agriculture expertise.
• European Research and Innovation PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtensive participation in EU-funded research projects including Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, and LIFE program initiatives. Projects span organic farming, soil health, agroecology, and sustainable food systems across European partnerships.
• BIO AUSTRIAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian organic farming association partnership including joint projects such as Bionet and analysis of organic farming sustainability performance in Austria.
• Bio SuissecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss organic umbrella organization partnership including expert work and advisory services for organic farming standards and certification.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IFOAM - Organics International: Global umbrella organization for the organic agriculture movement, coordinating organic standards, policy advocacy, and sector data. Closely aligned with FiBL's organic specialization and a frequent collaboration partner; comparable in producing authoritative global organic market statistics and shaping organic sector development.
• Wageningen University & Research: Globally leading agricultural research institution based in the Netherlands. Highly comparable to FiBL in operating long-term field experiments, conducting multidisciplinary agricultural R&D, and serving policy and farming advisory roles, but with a broader mandate covering conventional and sustainable systems and significantly larger scale.
• Rodale Institute: US-based non-profit research institute exclusively focused on organic agriculture, operating long-term farming systems trials (FST) since 1981. Closest functional analog to FiBL in terms of mission, non-profit research model, and longitudinal trial approach, though smaller in scale and primarily serving North American audiences.
• Rothamsted Research: UK-based agricultural research institute operating some of the world's longest-running agronomic field experiments (e.g., Broadbalk since 1843). Directly comparable to FiBL's DOK Trial in providing irreplicable longitudinal agricultural datasets and serving research, policy, and farmer audiences.
• Agroscope: Swiss federal agricultural research institute and FiBL's closest national counterpart. Both conduct applied agricultural R&D in Switzerland and have a documented research collaboration including joint projects such as Recycle4Bio, though Agroscope covers conventional and organic systems while FiBL specializes exclusively in organic.
• INRAE: France's national research institute for agriculture, food, and environment. Operates long-term experimentation systems, publishes extensive scientific outputs, and engages in European policy advisory — directly comparable to FiBL's research-publishing-advisory model, though at much larger scale and with broader thematic scope.
• Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI): German federal research institute for cultivated crops, plant protection, and agroecology. Comparable to FiBL as a publicly funded applied agricultural research body that combines long-term experimentation, policy advisory, and knowledge transfer to farming practitioners.
• Thünen Institute: German federal research institute covering rural areas, forestry, fisheries, and agriculture. Operates long-term monitoring trials and provides policy advice similar to FiBL's role in Switzerland and the EU, with overlapping research themes in soil, livestock, and sustainability assessment.

Regional players

• Soil Association: UK-based charity combining organic certification, advocacy, and applied research. Comparable to FiBL in blending organic certification standards work with research and farmer education, though primarily serving the UK market rather than operating across multiple EU countries.

Broad incumbents

• USDA Agricultural Research Service: US federal agricultural research agency, the largest agricultural research organization in the world. Comparable to FiBL in conducting long-term field experiments, producing scientific publications, and informing national agricultural policy, but with a much broader mandate covering all of US agriculture rather than organic specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FiBLStatistics
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FiBLFilm?feature=mhee
• Facebookfacebook.com/FiBLnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fibl
• Instagraminstagram.com/fibl_org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL