vision & mission
vision
We envision a world where we can produce high quality food while protecting the natural environment through farming in respect with nature.
We believe that we can achieve such a sustainable farming system through organic agriculture.
mission
Improving organic agriculture with research, advisory, dissemination and support activities, thus making agriculture more performant and resilient.
This will empower farmers to implement sustainable farming practices in Luxembourg.
aims & objectives
aims & objectives
IBLA sees the purpose and aims of its efforts in research, consultancy, education and communication on topics of organic agriculture.
These objectives are achieved by:
- Research and development of practical methods for organic and biodynamic agriculture; Taking into account nutritional, ecological and socio-economic aspects.
- Research of aspects of agriculture that are socially relevant;
- The establishment of an extension service for agricultural holdings and public bodies, with the aim to provide organic and biodynamic agriculture with the importance it deserves.
- Education of producers and consumers on organic and biodynamic agriculture as well as promotion of cooperation between producers, trade and consumers.
- Promotion of training in organic and biodynamic agriculture at the training and education centres in Luxembourg.
Since 2015, the IBLA has been a registered non-profit organization and has also been recognized as an official research institute in Luxembourg.
board
the board (status april 2020)
President – FELTEN Claude (agricultural engineer)
Vice president – COLLING-VON ROESGEN
Jean-Louis (farmer)
Treasurerer – CONTER Gérard (agricultural engineer)
JACOBS Francis (farmer)
KOEUNE Marco (farmer)
MAJERUS Roland (merchant)
SCHANCK Aender (businessman)
team
+352 621 302 523
+352 26 15 13-82
+352 26 15 13-82
+352 26 15 13-91
+352 621 678 467
+352 621 392 748
+352 26 15 13-88
+352 621 734 005
+352 621 494 009
+352 621 677 351
+352 621 629 217
extension services offer agriculture
agriculture
The IBLA extension service for your agricultural holding presents itself
- You are a farmer and want to explore the production and business management possibilities a conversion to organic agriculture can offer your farm?
- You have decided to convert your farm to organic agriculture and need competent advice and support during the conversion phase?
- You are already an organic farmer and need help with a specific problem?
- You want to get first insights into the methods of organic farming?
- You want to profit from the benefits of leguminous crops in your crop rotation and need help in variety selection, production technology and the design of your crop rotation?
If one of these situations applies to you, the IBLA agricultural extension service has just the right offers for you. Our advisers have knowledge in all fields of organic agriculture due to their education and many years of practical experience. We combine research and practice and offer a wide range of extension services suited to fit your professional and personal needs. Our advisers are active both on a regional and Europe-wide level to provide you with the best service.
They offer a wide range of advice, from arable land and grassland to animal husbandry and feeding. They are your contact before and during the conversion. Their consulting services include crop rotation, fertilization and soil cultivation in field fodder and crop production with the aim of increasing natural soil fertility and yield potential.
You can profit from their long-standing experience and their knowledge regarding animal health and performance. This includes questions related to breeding, keeping, feeding and ration calculation, as well as grassland-management and improvement.
Variety recommendations are based on the results of our variety trials. Another focus of IBLA is the cultivation of legumes. Here you can benefit from our experience gained through field experiments on cultivation techniques and variety trials. Business analyses and individual support in the implementation of the guidelines for organic agriculture complete our offers in the agricultural extension service.
extension services and further education offers
Take advantage of IBLA's extension service and further education offers and benefit from years of experience in consulting and research. Arrange a personal consultation on your farm or choose from the IBLA modules the one best suited for your farm:
- Module 15.1: Organic agriculture – Pre-transitional initial consultation (for conventional holdings)
- Module 15.2: Organic agriculture – Pre-transition, intensive (for conventional holdings)
- Module 16: Organic agriculture – Transition (for holdings under conversion)
- Module 17a: Organic agriculture (for certified organic holdings)
- Module 17b: Methods of organic agriculture (for conventional holdings)
- Module 8: Legume cultivation (for all holdings)
- Module 9: Group consultation on crop production (for all holdings)
contact extension services agriculture
Rudolf Leifert
Mobile +352 621 30 25 22
Gilles Altmann
Mobile +352 621 49 44 85
Jean-Paul Weis
Mobile +352 621 39 27 48
Svenja Zelder
Mobile +352 621 75 18 75
Mathieu Wolter
Mobile +352 621 67 84 67
Ben Mangen
Mobile +352 621 49 40 09
extension services offer viticulture
viticulture
The IBLA extension service for organic viticulture presents itself
- You already make use of the natural biological processes in many areas of production and want to explore the production and business management possibilities a conversion to organic viticulture can offer your winery?
- You have decided to change your winery to organic viticulture and you need competent advice and support during the conversion phase?
- You already are an organic winegrower and want the latest information in plant protection during the vegetative phase? You want competent expertise and want to be part of a strong network?
- You want to get insight into organic cultivation methods?
If one of these situations applies to you, the IBLA viticulture extension service has just the right offers for you. Our adviser has knowledge in all fields of organic viticulture due to their education and many years of practical experience. Our adviser is active both on a regional and Europe-wide level to provide you with the best service. The IBLA viticulture extension services combine research and practice and offer a wide range of offers suited to fit your professional and personal needs.
Sonja Kanthak is a government certified winegrower and a communication host, and she holds a Bachelor of Science in organic agriculture and marketing. She is ready to assist you with all questions concerning organic viticulture. She offers individual consulting in organic cultivation in the vineyard and plant protection, as well as organic wine production. Vineyards are carefully managed before, during and after the conversion to organic viticulture with a focus on individual and weather-related conditions. Regular on-site inspection tours in the vineyards, as well as newsletters during the vegetative period, provide you with the most important and up-to-date information. Become part of a growing community that offers exchange with practice and research.
extension services and further education offers
Take advantage of IBLA's extension service and further education offers and benefit from years of experience in consulting and research. Arrange a personal consultation on your winery or choose from the IBLA modules the one that best suited for you:
- Module 23.1: Organic viticulture – Pre-transitional initial consultation (for conventional holdings)
- Module 23.2: Organic viticulture – Pre-transition, intensive (for conventional holdings)
- Module 24: Organic viticulture – Transition (for holdings under conversion)
- Module 25a.1: Organic viticulture – soil fertility (for certified organic holdings (
- Module 25b.2: Methods used in organic viticulture – plant health (for conventional, partially converted and certified organic holdings (>0,1 ha))
contact extension services viticulture
Sonja Kanthak
Mobile +352 621 67 73 51
communication
network of demonstration farms
organic agriculture Luxembourg
Our goal is to provide consumers and conventional farmers, processors and merchants with an insight into organic agriculture and through farm visits, festivals and practice days to our 9 demonstration farms. These visits offer a practice oriented insight into the everyday life on an organic farm and winery, as well as the special quality, the opportunities and challenges of organic agriculture.
In addition, the demonstration farms provide information on their production focus and marketing forms, as well as regional growing conditions. For this reason, organic farms from different regions and with different main branches have been selected to show the variety of organic agriculture in Luxembourg.
If you want to visit one of these demonstration farms, contact us or the farms directly to make an appointment for your visit. The project “demonstration farms organic agriculture” is an initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Viticulture and Consumer protection/ASTA financed within the framework of the organic action plan in Luxembourg.
A Mechels
An Dudel
A Schiewesch
Domaine Sunnen-Hoffmann
Jeekel’s Haff
Karelshaff
Schanck Haff
information brochures
In collaboration with several European partners such as the Research Institute for Organic Agriculture (FIBL), technical information brochures are being prepared, which are made available to organic farmers and other interested parties in Luxembourg. This will give farmers access to the extensive know-how of the research institutes in the field of organic agriculture and the latest national and international research results.
This project is an initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Viticulture and Consumer protection/ASTA financed within the framework of the organic action plan in Luxembourg.
Information brochuresprojects
soya made in luxembourg
Optimization of the value chain from the soybean to the egg in Luxembourg and further development of soybean cultivation in Luxembourg
The support of the soybean growers by IBLA includes the site selection, the soil preparation, the accompaniment before and during the sowing, the mechanical weed control as well as the harvest and the organization of the delivery to the feed producer SCAR scrl in Belgium, which takes over the further processing in the feed rations for the BIO-OVO laying hens. For the mechanical weed control, the agricultural machinery dealer Wolff-Weyland S.A. supports the farmers by providing the necessary sowing and hoeing equipment.
The aim of the project is to further develop and economically optimize soybean cultivation and the soybean value chain by providing cost-effective but competent advice for the farmer from sowing to harvesting, which will bear fruit in independent cultivation in the long term. In addition, the process of further processing of soybeans is optimized logistically and economically to promote national soybean production and increase protein self-sufficiency.
fabulous farmers
méi weed
Pasture optimization by adapting pasture management to pedoclimatic conditions
In this project, a prediction model of daily grass increment is adapted to Luxembourg pedoclimatic conditions. The forecasts will allow for predictive pasture planning and will help in the future with regular adjustments of grazing areas, feeding of roughage and/or concentrates to grazing animals, etc.
Five pasture-based dairy farms are participating in the project. These pilot farms are located in different pedoclimatic zones throughout Luxembourg. The pilot farms will be intensively accompanied in their pasture management for the whole duration of the project. In this way, the practical benefits of the grass growth model will be implemented on the farms.
In parallel, a survey of consumers will be conducted to determine their added value in pasture management and its influence on their purchasing behavior. Furthermore, a sustainability analysis with the SMART (Sustainability Monitoring and Assessment RouTine)- Farm Tool will be carried out on the pilot farms at the beginning and end of the project in order to develop farm-specific improvement approaches and recommendations and to monitor the development of the farms.
simba
Simulating economic and environmental impacts of dairy cattle management using Agent Based Models
braugeescht – vum kär zum béier
i2connect
Connecting advisors to boost interactive innovation in agriculture & forestry
To enhance and profile the role of advisors in interactive innovation processes, at different scales: by a better understanding of the AKIS at country level, by identifying providers of advisory services across Europe, by creating an enabling environment within advisory services, by better connecting and embedding advisory services within the AKIS and by appropriate public policies.
To create a social support network and a networking culture among advisors facilitating innovative innovation processes. In particular emphasis will be given to ensure that advisors in Central and Eastern European countries make use of the opportunities being created in the project.
ecological footprint – reloaded
monesca
towards an operational very high resolution monitoring of die-off phenomena including the esca complex
Drone based very high-resolution images can help monitoring long term and small scale patterns of diseases. Recently, innovative hyperspectral sensors, which are very light and can be installed on drones, came on the market. This allows for new insights into diseases reactions and developments in vegetation canopies which haven’t been possible before. Esca, in contrast to many other diseases is not spreading continuously within the vineyard but occurs on single plants. Furthermore, symptoms may occur in one year and disappear the following year on infected plants. Thus, very high resolution is necessary to detect the symptoms. In combination with thermal sensors, innovative methods will be developed which may help to detect and understand the disease.
2000 m2 for our food
Project to promote a sustainable agricultural and food culture
Using 2000 m2 at the “Haus vun der Natur” in Kockelscheuer, we will show the relationships between our dietary habits, agriculture and environmental protection in a very practical, hands-on manner. The 2000 m2 field will show that a sustainable food supply, on the basis of our natural resources, is possible. At the moment, agricultural production plays a minor role in the direct food supply in Luxembourg. Accordingly, the “2000 m2 for our food” project aims to highlight the value of fruit, vegetable and field crop cultivation, because a diverse range of seasonal delights is possible using regionally produced fruits and vegetables. This means: apples and pears instead of mangoes and kiwi. Lentils, peas and regionally produced soybean instead of chick peas from sub-tropical regions.. Being a region with a high proportion of permanent grassland, animal husbandry is very important for Luxembourg and builds an important link to the arable land and crop production, since the organic fertilizers produced by the animals especially enhance soil fertility. Chicken, pig and cow manure play an important role in keeping nitrogen and other important nutrients in the agricultural cycle, maintaining a natural soil fertility and making the use of mineral fertilizers redundant.
The aim of the project partners “Institut fir biologësch Landwirtschaft an Agrakultur Luxemburg” a.s.b.l. (IBLA), “natur & ëmwelt” a.s.b.l. and Co-Labor, is to use this project, financed by the Ministère de l’Environnement, du Climat et du Développement durable, to promote awareness of the arable land that is available for crop production, to encourage reflection about our own dietary habits and consumption patterns as well as to inform about regional and sustainable agriculture.
susteatable
Integrated analysis of dietary patterns and agricultural practices for sustainable food systems in Luxembourg
co2mpositiv
Grape marc - from underrated waste product to regionally produced premium fertilizer
Locally produced compost products help to promote humus formation and thus help to protect the climate. The aim of the project is to promote wide support for compost products. There will be demonstration windrows and demonstration plots that can be used for composting courses and workshops. The courses are aimed at farmers, winegrowers and private individuals. In addition, information events and communication activities are carried out that appeal to all social groups.
legutec
Sustainable and resource-efficient protein production using various mechanical weed control methods in grain legume cultivation; using soybean as an example
Farm Mehlen, Manternach
Farm François, Hostert
variety trials
in organic agriculture in Luxembourg
• Summer cereal variety trials in 2014-2016, and again since 2019
• Soybean variety trials in 2014, and again since 2018
• Clover grass mixture variety trials in 2013-2015 and again since 2020
• Pea and faba bean variety trials since 2016
• Potato variety trials since 2016
• Maize variety trials since 2020
grassland and animal health eifel
The optimization of permanent grassland, the pasture management, the perennial field forage cultivation and the fodder conservation, in order to improve the efficiency, animal health, value and environmental compatibility of the dairy production in the grassland region.
The objectives of the project are:
• Analysing grassland and forage production with regard to their yields while taking into account their fertilization and cutting times.
• Improving the silage process by reducing the pure protein degradation and indicating alternatives to the silage process.
• Analysing the influence of the grassland and forage production, as well as the conservation methods on the basic feed intake and animal health of the dairy cow, thus improving the profitability of dairy cattle as a whole.