The PSD/FSD field visit was focusing primarily on the agricultural insurance company Swiss Hail (see presentation). This private company – the only one of its kind in Switzerland – offers insurance for crops against various kinds of natural hazards and has a history of over 130 years. As being in its legal status a cooperative, the insured farmers are the owners and have a say in the general assembly. During the field visit two farms were visited. For both family farms a noteworthy aspect of the business is the level of diversification. In case of the first farm, besides farming – which generates about half of the family's income – the family works also in forestry (selling heat produced with wood pellets from the forest) and as an agent / loss adjuster for Swiss Hail. The other farm is jointly held by two families and distributed over four different patches of land. The various family members pursue different income generating activities (employee of milking machine company, trust company, agricultural consultant, farmer). However, they all help out on the farm but in different intensities. The income generated by the farm is distributed frequently according to the volume of work contributed to the farm and the land contribution made by the different parties. Lessons learned of these field visits are that:
- direct transfer of experience is not possible. However, different elements can be useful in development projects such as improving the direct contact between the insurance companies and the clients (farmers) and introducing the role of peers in the information and assessment regarding damages.
- in Switzerland, farming is subsidized by the state to an extent which is not possible in most developing countries.
- insurance is just one way of mitigating risk. Diversification of production can be a more efficient strategy. However, in SDCs partner countries this level of diversification is often not possible as among other factors farmers cultivate only small plots of land.
- it might be interesting for SDC to have a closer look at the cooperative insurance models.
The VSD field visit gave insight into the Dual Vocational Education System (VET) in Switzerland (see presentation). Dual VET is an integral part of the Swiss education system and has a prominent position as two third of the youth enrol in VET programmes after mandatory schooling.
Apprenticeship programmes are market oriented, permeable and offer a well-balanced theoretical and practical education. The collaboration between schools, private companies and professional associations is strong; all of them are actively involved in the development of curricula. During the field visit, a multifunctional professional school, a private company employing and training apprentices and a professional association were visited.
The lessons learned of these field visits are that:
- the role of the private sector is striking: The development of curricula in collaboration with the private sector as well as the collaboration between the local authorities and the industry association are noteworthy and have replication potential in several of the SDC partner countries.
the dual VET system works well in Switzerland but it is too context specific to be replicated as such. Still, it serves as a source of inspiration for instance the strong position of practical experience during the training.
