Global warming: Rice growing continues to expand in Switzerland

Global warming: Rice growing continues to expand in Switzerland
Global warming: Rice growing continues to expand in Switzerland

Favored by global warming, rice cultivation continues to develop in Switzerland. Fribourgeois Léandre and Maxime Guillod, the largest producers north of the Alps, are counting on a harvest of nearly 40 tonnes this year in their rice fields in Vully and Seeland.

In Switzerland, the climate remains one of the main obstacles to the cultivation of rice, which only grows above 20 degrees. Water is the other essential component.

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The two brothers established their first rice field in 2019 in Lugnorre (FR), then a second two years ago in Kappelen (BE). They are among the first Swiss producers who, at the initiative of Agroscope, launched into so-called flooded rice cultivation. Until now, only dry rice cultivation was practiced in Ticino.

“We learned everything on the job. We draw a lot of inspiration from what is done abroad, but the Swiss climate does not necessarily correspond to others. We cannot do a copy and paste,” explains Léandre Guillod, an agronomist by trade, interviewed by Keystone-ATS. “Being located beyond the 46th parallel, the Swiss Plateau remains a fairly extreme region for rice,” he admits.

Faced with these challenges, the key is to diversify production. The two brothers cultivate rice on 11 hectares, 6 in Lugnorre and 5 in Kappelen. Half of this surface area is devoted to Loto rice, the variety offering the most guarantees. “On the other half, we grow specialties. We have black rice, Japanese round rice, jasmine rice or even a special risotto variety,” continues Léandre Guillod.

Heat and water

The harvest is expected to reach nearly 40 tonnes in 2024, 10 more than last year. “All the varieties flowered in optimal conditions,” he rejoices. “We were a little worried with the cold in June and early July. Culture thus fell behind, but this was then caught up.”

In Switzerland, the climate remains one of the main obstacles to the cultivation of rice, which only grows above 20 degrees. Water is the other essential component.

Léandre and Maxime Guillod have a concession allowing them to pump water into the Broye canal to artificially flood the fields. The water height should reach 2 centimeters at the time of planting, and up to 15 centimeters in July.

“In addition to allowing the rice to grow, the water plays a role as a thermal buffer by maintaining a certain heat during the night,” explains the agricultural engineer. “The rice should flower at the beginning of August, a time when it is still quite warm. If it is late and it flowers in September, the harvest is compromised.”

The two brothers insist on doing everything themselves, even if there is no shortage of challenges: finding the appropriate machines, fighting against weeds – particularly millet –, planting rice rather than sowing it and adapting to the specificities of the Swiss terrain and climate.

Ecology and productivity

Léandre Guillod emphasizes that if his rice fields were able to see the light of day, it is also thanks to the support of Agroscope, the federal station for agronomic and food research. “When Agroscope launched the project, we told them that it had to be profitable, that it should not just be experimental and subsidized. Otherwise, it would never work,” says Léandre Guillod.

Today, the objective has been achieved for the two Friborg producers. They certainly do not sell their rice in supermarkets, but online and for direct sale.

“Sales is quite a challenge, even more so when you don’t work with major distributors. But we have small resellers throughout Switzerland, from Geneva to Saint-Moritz,” says Léandre Guillod. “The goal is to maintain a connection with the consumer. We offer a product that has a story,” he notes.

Léandre and Maxime Guillod’s project also has an ecological aspect. “With Agroscope, we wanted to recreate wetlands favorable to biodiversity while keeping them productive,” notes the Fribourgeois. Today, the rice field is full of dragonflies – more than twenty species have been recorded there – and is home to numerous frogs, moonbirds, newts and even snakes.

Manual weeding facilitates the proliferation of these species, as farmers do not use any phytosanitary products. Moreover, in addition to Agroscope, the Sempach Ornithological Center works on the rice fields of the Guillod brothers, in particular to provide a habitat for the crested lapwing, a bird threatened in Switzerland.

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