Born in 1953, Niggli grew up in the rural idyll of the Swiss Central Plateau – now a hectic intersection between the three major centres of Zurich, Basel and Bern. He studied agricultural sciences and was director of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) from 1990 to March 2020. Under his leadership, FiBL has become an important think tank for organic farming, species-appropriate animal husbandry and sustainability. He is a member of the 'Scientific Group of the United Nations' 2021 Food Systems Summit and is a specialist in the field of agricultural ecology.