Committed to sustainable plant protection: Francesca Ferrari

"Insects are extremely important for maintaining the ecological balance," says Francesca Ferrari. For her professional internship during her studies, Ferrari therefore looked for a company that worked with insects in a holistic a way, covering various areas. And so she swapped her room in Zurich for a stay in Willisau, Lucerne, for five months. From September 2023 to January 2024, she worked at Andermatt Biocontrol, mainly in the Swiss Market and International Market departments. Her tasks were multifaceted: from market analyses, customer surveys and price calculations to helping to organise the company's anniversary, assisting with field trials and carrying out a laboratory project.

Active for 35 years

Andermatt Biocontrol was founded in 1988 by Isabel and Martin Andermatt. The couple produced biological pesticides to make them available to farmers and hobby gardeners. Andermatt himself had studied Agricultural Sciences at ETH Zurich. He was inspired by entomologist Vittorio Delucchi when he and his wife developed the Madex® product to combat the codling moth. The small Swiss company grew. Today, Andermatt is a globally active group of companies with 24 subsidiaries and over 500 employees. The company also wants to contribute to the preservation of biodiversity in Africa and South America.

A research field with a future

"Biological plant protection has a future. Especially in times when more and more chemical pesticides are being banned," says Ferrari. The student would also be very interested in working abroad in the future. "The problems there are often different to those here in Switzerland," notes Ferrari. "That makes communication and training all the more important." Francesca Ferrari has learnt a lot from these five months of practical experience. "Above all, the ability to ask other people questions and get what I needed to complete my tasks efficiently". Fully motivated, she has now embarked on her Master's programme with a specialisation in Plant Sciences and a minor in Agricultural Economics.