In Wädenswil, about 130 farms produce food. However, most of these products cannot be consumed directly by the people of Wädenswil. The agricultural products end up in the large, national sales channels and often come back to the consumers in disposable packaging via the large retailers. The Regional Development Project (PRE) Wädenswil wants to change this and pursues the following goals: 1) Promoting the processing and sale of agricultural products locally in Wädenswil - thus increasing the income and independence of farmers; 2) Establishing a circular economy with reusable packaging and short transport routes; 3) Supporting climate-friendly and biodiverse agriculture in Wädenswil.

Last year, the Federal Office for Agriculture approved the project outline for the PRE Wädenswil and at the end of 2022, the project entered the preliminary clarification phase. In this framework, the stakeholders discuss the various project ideas and clarify which ones will be pursued further for detailed planning and implementation. The project outline submitted contains a wide variety of ideas involving different branches of agriculture and joint, cross-farm activities: Dairy, fruit and grain processing, the development of new sales channels, joint communication and logistics, and the promotion of climate-friendly and biodiverse agriculture. Overall, the project aims to promote exchange between agricultural producers, consumers and researchers in order to jointly contribute to sustainable and forward-looking nutrition in Wädenswil. In Wädenswil, the large number of farms and their products should become visible and enjoyable for the inhabitants of the city.

The research groups Geography of Food and Tourism and Sustainable Development take over the project coaching in the preliminary phase and can contribute their experiences from the projects of regional development in Graubünden (PRE Beverin and PRE Safiental).