HIRZELFarmers, Unite! Strengthening Farms and Farmers Through Cooperative Ownership and ProductionLeon Bloch, Viktor Jørgensen, and Roman Schürch

Hirzel is a village and mountain pass in the Canton of Zurich, located in a pre-Alpine landscape, characterised by pastures for dairy farming. Over the last centuries, milk production has become the economic backbone of the entire region. But this was not always like that: between 1400 and 1800, the so-called Hirzel Höhi was an important mountain pass located at the European north-south trade route between Milan and Munich.

The region underwent another profound change in the early 19th century, when industrialisation and rising living standards forced milk farmers to adapt their practices to keep up with increasing demand for dairy products and competition. The introduction of collective storage and production was a first step, followed by the establishment of communal cooperatives. Later, these cooperatives were merged or displaced to form the largest commercial enterprises we know today: Emmi, Migros, Coop.

Today, most farmers in the Zimmerberg region produce for national processors and retailers. Many farmers have recognised the disadvantages of such dependence and have introduced direct marketing through farm stores, but on an individual basis. Following the example of the first communal cooperatives in the region, we propose to reintroduce cooperative farming so that Hirzel farmers can become independent of the large retailers through mutual support.