The observation :

Agriculture today : An industrial agriculture based on mecanisation, fertilizers and pesticides, all oil-based and accelerating the destruction of soils (drainage, ploughing and erosion) biodiversity (hedges removal, pollution..). Inhuman size farms : monoculture, 1000 cows structures that led to the disappearance of traditional peasantry that was making the life of our countryside.

Urbanization : The size of a french county disappears under concrete every 5 years together with arable soil and plants who store CO2

Social cohesion : 18% of people aged 15-30, ie 2 millions youngsters, only very rarely spend time with other people. 26% of french people feel lonely, useless and excluded. A meaning crisis for our society which struggles to bring people together around a common project, and has turned its back on peasant values such as humility and solidarity.

Another life is possible

Work the soil differently : We can replace petroleum products by a better knowledge of soil life and the use of manual work. (in 1940 with 1 fossil fuel calorie we were able to produce 2,4 food calorie, now we need 7 to 10 fossil fuel calories to produce 1 food calorie).

Repopulate countrysides and change our way of life : In the days of our grandparents, peasants weren't slaves, they had time, they owned 8 cows, a garden, a small vineyard, they would'nt spend their days on a big 4x4 tractor, they actually talked to their neighbors, being on smaller farms the country was livelier, after work people were going playing or cycling..

Going back to a sustainable society : Whose ecological footprint doesn't exceed one planet, (today in 7 months we use all the resources that the Earth can produce in a yeartime) it does NOT mean going back to stone age, it means going back to the consumption level of the 60's. It requires to rethink our food habits (local, organic..) our housing (auto built with low footprint materials), our commuting. It means getting out of the waste society (repairing rather than buying, favour immaterial wealth..), developing our autonomy (growing a garden, harvest rainwater, barter..)

The project :

A micro farm that produces 50 organic vegetables baskets per week, delivered trough short distribution channels, and produced according to the “living soil gardening” principles.

A recovery place that offers short term housing to people in need, to give them a moment of calm, and the opportunitiy to have a break and focus on their life plan while giving a hand at the farm if they feel like it.

A center for the ecological transition : Encouraging eco-pasture (using sheeps and goats as eco-friendly lawn mowers), sensitizing to auto-eco-building with recovery or low impact materials (earth and straw insulation, pallets furnitures, solar oven, rocket stove..)

Who are we ?

Pierre - 33 years old : "I come from the non profit sector, I've worked abroad a while for NGOs and eventually in Paris on a healthcare access program for the homeless. I realized how much having your own place can be something structuring, and I was increasingly struggling to feel home in Paris, so I decided to take root somewhere, with a "back to land" desire but also the wish to belong somewhere. So i graduated in agriculture to grow organic vegetables, and while maturing the project I wanted the farm to be more than a production site, but also a place to live in, to share experiences, to host people who need an aircraft carrier at a moment of their lifes."

Bart - 32 years old : "After a few years working as a carpenter, I decided to graduate in specialized education to bring a more social dimension to my work. I was really into sustainable development and ecological alternatives so I spent a year abroad volountering, trying out simplier ways of life, doing wwofing in small farms where products are distributed locally, places where people imagine, fix, build things in a friendly environment, ideal to meet new people and share experiences. When i got back I naturally caught up with Pierre on the project, aware of our complementarity, and the benefit of being two in that kind of adventure".

La Frérèche

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