FAQ

Regenerative agriculture works with nature rather than against it — without pesticides or synthetic fertilisers, focusing on living soils and biodiversity.

Regenerative agriculture aims to work with nature and harness the potential of cycles. Pesticides and synthetic fertilisers are rejected; the focus is on regenerating topsoil, biodiversity and maintaining the water cycle. The goal is to align as closely as possible with nature.

In essence, the following five principles apply:

• Minimal disturbance through shallow tillage

• Permanent soil cover wherever possible

• Living roots in the soil at all times

• Maximising biodiversity on the farm

• Integrated livestock (pasture or free-range systems)

Unlike regenerative agriculture, regenerative mosaic farming does not require integrated livestock. You can read more about regenerative agriculture here; how we apply it in practice is on our Methods page.

Regenerative mosaic farming (RMLW) combines the best elements of permaculture, organic and regenerative agriculture into a scalable, pesticide-free cultivation system.

Since 2015, SlowGrow has been developing the approach of regenerative mosaic farming (RMLW) as a productive experimental farm. RMLW brings together the best from various farming methods: a mix of permaculture, organic and regenerative agriculture, but also entirely new approaches, creates a new farming system. It works with diverse mulch use, shallow tillage, subsoil loosening, no-till vegetable production and bed-based mixed cropping. RMLW does without readily soluble fertilisers or pesticides. Modern technology is also part of the approach. For example, fields are managed with CTF (Controlled Traffic Farming), meaning all machines run on fixed lanes that are preserved over the years.

On different beds, crops of vegetables, cereals, green manure, flower strips or perennial crops are arranged in a mosaic pattern. This promotes interaction between neighbouring crops, their signalling substances, microorganisms, fungal networks and insect populations. Ecological areas are not separated from arable land but integrated with it — biodiversity becomes a decisive production factor. Innovations from different fields (machinery, management systems, soil management) make this radically nature-based yet economic production on the farm possible. All of this enables a system in which biodiversity and production are established on the same area. The combination of practical knowledge, intuition, creativity and innovation is forward-looking and shows that agroecological principles can be implemented very well in Switzerland, enabling what might be called "species-appropriate plant husbandry". All knowledge is consolidated, prepared and shared through HofLabor.

Functioning natural processes are the most important production factors in RMLW:

Soil

Soil life provides optimal plant nutrition. The soil is a key factor. It must not only be healthy but alive. Active soil life can ensure optimal plant supply.

• Fixed lanes and GPS avoid compaction.

• Mulch material and green manures feed soil life and protect against rain and sun.

• Avoiding pesticides and readily soluble fertilisers allows natural symbioses between plants, bacteria and fungi to develop. These enable plant supply with nutrients and water.

• Carbon-rich material in the topsoil acts as an additional driver for soil life.

Crop rotation

Site-specific crop rotation with knowledge of conditions and history of each bed.

Ecosystem

In the farm-scale ecosystem, beneficial insects and pests keep each other in balance: diverse cultivation in tractor-width strips allows high biological diversity. Additional structures provide space for all possible life stages — the basis for a balanced ecosystem.

Management

Machinery and smart management enable efficiency and scalability: site-specific crop rotation with knowledge of conditions and history of each bed.

• Regenerative agriculture

• Permaculture

• Organic farming

• Mulch-based farming

• No-till approach

• Bed-based mixed cropping

… and many others. That is what defines the regenerative mosaic farming approach: it draws on all approaches that have proved useful in practice for regenerating soils and achieving the highest possible soil quality and biodiversity.

Regenerative agriculture is closely related to permaculture. Both concepts are based on the idea of creating healthy, fertile soils so that farming remains sustainable and productive in the long term. In permaculture, perennial plants are usually planted in small spaces and combined with each other so that a self-sustaining system can be built. Natural ecosystems and cycles from nature are mimicked. Regenerative agriculture, by contrast, is geared more towards annual crops.

No. From the outside it can quickly seem as though we at HofLabor already have the answer to every problem. That is not the case — of course we have learned a great deal in recent years, but many new questions have also arisen. At HofLabor we are now developing solutions robust enough to pass on to other farmers so they can benefit from our experience. We believe every new system only has a chance if we have a robust system before we share this knowledge with more farmers. For farmers, experiments carry high risk — financially and to personal reputation in a traditional environment.

Our approach is suitable for any farmer or landowner looking for a sustainable, regenerative and nature-based farming method.

Our goal: to make the regenerative mosaic farming system technically and economically scalable and easily accessible to farmers within the next three years — thanks to new technology and innovation.

We are working to support farmers in transitioning to and implementing nature-based farming that is sustainable in all dimensions — concretely and according to their needs. Over the next three years HofLabor aims to further develop regenerative mosaic farming so that it becomes scalable and implementable for farmers. To do this we consolidate knowledge from pioneer farms and develop multifunctional methods, machinery and digital management tools.

We are still developing our methods, tools and solutions. We have already documented and published some methods. If you are interested in our approach, feel free to contact us by e-mail and we will get back to you.

SlowGrow has been a pioneer farm for regenerative mulch mixed cropping since 2015. SlowGrow was founded by Matthias Hollenstein, who is also co-founder of HofLabor.

Since 2018 SlowGrow has farmed about 20 ha in the Zurich Oberland, growing vegetables and arable crops and cultivating various specialty crops.

The idea for HofLabor as an on-farm innovation project arose from SlowGrow's many years of experimentation, development and trials. HofLabor was founded as an independent project in 2021. SlowGrow is now one of HofLabor's pioneer farms — many experiments take place on SlowGrow's land and SlowGrow provides its data for analysis.

Both HofLabor and SlowGrow are receiving a lot of attention at the moment, which we are very pleased about. At the same time we unfortunately cannot respond to every request, as our team is small and time is limited. Please contact us by e-mail or via the contact form and we will review your request.

We are very pleased to receive media enquiries and coverage. We are currently working on a media kit. Until then you can contact us by e-mail or via the contact form. Please understand that we cannot always reply immediately, as our team is small and we spend a lot of time in the field.

Mulching means covering the soil with organic material such as hay, grass clippings or straw — for protection, weed suppression and to feed soil life.

At HofLabor we use mulch extensively in mosaic farming: mulch protects against drying out and heavy rain, suppresses weeds mechanically and nourishes microorganisms in the soil. Our converted loader wagon spreads mulch evenly; the MulchTec planter sets plants directly into the mulch layer. Read more under Mulch and root penetration and on our Machines page.

The Adlisberg farm is a 40 ha City of Zurich property on Adlisberg that HofLabor has leased since 2024 — a demonstration and innovation hub for mosaic farming.

Right next to the Dolder, a showcase farm is taking shape for farmers, research and the public. We are building diverse mosaic fields, hosting tours and testing machinery — including with our partner Raptrac. Full details on the Adlisberg farm page.