My domain is closely related to the ecology of the place itself, focusing on small-scale food production with sustainable means and techniques going beyond organic/bio farming to increase resilience of the system.
In order to bring even more resilience another focus is to integrate the whole chain of action within the place, by controlling all aspects of production from seedling production to seed saving and minimizing external input through on-site production of compost and natural fertility thanks to the use of green manures. Agro-ecology is a holistic approach that interconnects human, soil and plants health to find balance between ecological, social and economic goals.
Several plots among the land are currently cultivated for a total area of 1400 m² and it will be increased in the future to 3000 m² (including rotation with green manure).
The production is composed of over 100 varieties of vegetables, fruits, aromatics and edible flowers and its goal is to provide 25 food baskets weekly all year round. It includes a plant nursery.
These baskets are sold locally at the farm without intermediate to residents on the land and to customers in the close vicinity (less than 15km), in an area that currently lacks this quality of product. For residents these baskets are booked on a monthly basis before the start of each month and for external customers a yearly agreement is requested.
Basket contents for residents are fixed and filled on Monday morning with a set mix of seasonal harvest for a value of 5 euros. Extra supplies can be requested directly on the basket itself and will be added on the next closest day of harvest (depends on the crop, maximum 3 days between harvest).
Basket contents for external customers are set with a mix of seasonal harvest for a value of 10 euro. Extra supplies can be ordered online through a google sheet as long as the total value of the basket does not reach excessive amount. The list and price of products currently harvested is available online
I operate alone in this domain and exchange tips and advice through a pioneer association of veggie market gardeners in France, “maraîchage sur sol vivant”, which started no soil disturbance farms and experimentation 11 years ago. A term another person will be part of the structure to help manage and expand diversity of production.
Here is a list of services providing by the action of this agro-ecological practice:
- Healthy and nutritious food production
- Improve Diversity of food available
- Brings beauty
- Reduce transport necessary
- Reduce all kind of pollution (no chemical, no petrol or gas fueled machines, no packaging and no atmosphere controlled storage)
- Reduce input costs
- Improve yield per m²
- Reduce the quantity of water used for irrigation
- Improve resilience of the place in terms of soil fertility and health
- Improve ecology of the place in terms of fauna and flora for a healthier ecosystem
- Promote and propagate locally adapted and reproducible seeds
- Increase variety of seeds available
- Increase carbon sequestration and reduce carbon emissions
- Act as an example to empower others to adopt ecological food production practices
- Share the knowledge through courses and open days
Green Manure cultivation is one of the base components of biological agriculture. It is a cover crop with the specificity of not being harvested and returned completely to the soil to maintain or improve its fertility, but not only! If well managed the feedback…
When land regeneration meets food production Agroecological food refers to food that is grown and produced using agroecological principles and practices. Agroecology is a holistic approach to agriculture that seeks to create a sustainable and resilient food system by mimicking the ecological processes and…
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