On-farm composting in Austria and Switzerland

A combination of subsidies and municipal support for on-farm composting enables European farmers to invest in needed equipment and systems.

A HIGH degree of cooperation exists between municipalities and farms in Switzerland and Austria, as evident from how much green waste from towns is composted on agricultural land. Typically, the farmer is well compensated for the composting arrangement. The municipality usually pays for construction of the compost pad and turner, as well as a tipping fee for material delivered to the farms. Sometimes there is a requirement that the farmer provide a portion of the finished compost to town residents for free.

We had the opportunity to …