Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersFrick, Switzerland
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Frick
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Consulting Services: Advisory and consulting services for farmers, agricultural businesses, certification bodies, and governmental organizations on organic farming practices and transition.
- Donations: Voluntary donations from supporters of organic agriculture research and education, processed through the organization's donation system.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free publications available for download |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Seminar and training fees |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- AgroscopecoreOngoing 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)coreAcademic 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 PartnerscoreExtensive 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 AUSTRIAcoreAustrian organic farming association partnership including joint projects such as Bionet and analysis of organic farming sustainability performance in Austria.
- Bio SuissecoreSwiss 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
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL social profiles
Digital presenceResearch Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL
What does Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL do?
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.
Is Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL a public or private company?
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL founded?
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL was founded in 1974. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL based?
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL is headquartered in Frick, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Research Project Funding is the primary driver. The others are publications and Knowledge Products, seminars and Training, consulting Services and donations.
Who are Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are IFOAM - Organics International, Wageningen University & Research, Rodale Institute, Rothamsted Research, Agroscope, INRAE, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI) and Thünen Institute. Soil Association is listed as a regional player. USDA Agricultural Research Service is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL have an API?
No public API is recorded for Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL.
What industry is Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL in?
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL's product category is Agricultural Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAFAC, Life Sciences (Biology, Ecology, Agriculture) Scholarly Publishing. Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 8731.