Expert View – Agriculture business in Switzerland

Swiss Agriculture: a strategic sector caught between food sovereignty and modernization

Agriculture remains a strategic pillar of Switzerland: it embodies both food sovereignty and an essential part of cultural identity.
In 2025, Switzerland had just over 47,000 agricultural holdings of which 17% were organic farms (compared to an EU average of 10.5%). The average size of farms is 22 hectares, and the sector employs around 150,000 people. Despite its low employment figures, the sector is essential in preserving food security, managing and maintaining landscapes, and sustaining the rural fabric. 
Switzerland has many strengths in the agricultural sector: it is recognized for the high quality of its agricultural products (international reputation of Swiss products, strict health and environmental standards), it can count on solid public support (approximately CHF 2.9 billion in federal aid in 2024, customs protection on several agricultural products). The share of organic farming is high (17%) and growing. Finally, the sector plays crucial role in maintaining the countryside and forest areas, ecological balance and natural disaster prevention.

Supported by a system of federal subsidies, the sector now faces major new challenges: high production costs, international competition, ecological transition, and generational renewal.

What trends and challenges do you see in the agricultural equipment financing sector in Switzerland?

Agricultural equipment financing in Switzerland is undergoing major changes. Long perceived as a traditional sector, agriculture is now undergoing a profound transformation: automation, robotization, digitalization, and energy transition are reshaping everyday life on farms. Milking robots, automated feeding systems, connected sensors, and biomass energy production facilities are no longer exceptions, but are becoming the norm to ensure productivity and sustainability for the future.
These developments open new opportunities but also pose challenges in terms of financing. Investments are becoming increasingly heavy and specialized, while agricultural incomes remain subject to strong seasonality and sometimes unpredictable price fluctuations. For farmers to commit to such transformations, they need flexible solutions that can be tailored to their cash flow cycle and reduce their administrative burden. In this context, BPCE EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS Switzerland is developing its services by offering financing models specific to this sector.

Another challenge is generational renewal. The new generation of farmers, who are more open to innovation, are looking for modern, fast financial models that are tailored to their projects. They want solutions that do more than just finance an asset, but that truly support their transition to more efficient and sustainable agriculture.
In the same vein, more and more investments are now being made jointly by several farms grouped together in associations or cooperatives. Whether it’s sharing a tractor, an energy installation, or large-capacity equipment, these collaborative models make it possible to amortize costs and optimize the use of equipment. BPCE EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS offers financing solutions tailored to these collective structures, so that cooperation becomes an additional lever for modernization in the sector.

What can BPCE EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS bring to this sector?

In this context, BPCE EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS’ role is to support the entire value chain through a multi-channel presence, working with importers, manufacturers, and local distributors, as well as directly with farmers. This proximity allows us to offer solutions tailored to each player in the ecosystem.
In concrete terms, BPCE EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS supports distributors through inventory financing, enabling them to always have the necessary equipment available to respond quickly to market needs. On the customer side, BPCE EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS offers flexible financing solutions designed to match agricultural cycles and reduce the initial investment burden.
BPCE EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS goes even further by offering customized solutions: adjusted payment plans, joint marketing initiatives with distributors, importers, and equipment manufacturers, and financing for projects related to the energy transition, particularly in the field of photovoltaics for farms.

Our ambition is clear: to be a long-term partner, capable not only of facilitating the acquisition of modern equipment, but also of supporting the sustainable transformation of Swiss agriculture.