https://reasonstobecheerful.world/next-generation-farmers-france/
"Before they became farmers, Lore Apesteguy was working at an arts center in
Strasbourg, France, giving tours of exhibitions, and her partner, Alexandre
Chevalier, an engineering graduate, was unhappily employed at a large corporate
company.
In 2019, they decided to make a radical change and left France to learn about
permaculture farming for a year in northern Colombia. On their return, the pair
contacted various farms to volunteer and continue their development, but they
struggled to find jobs or apprenticeships.
That is, until one day, when they discovered an initiative in the southwest of
France that is helping young people become the country’s next generation of
farmers via low-risk, small-scale and closely-supported projects — and thereby
helping create ultra-local networks of organic, seasonal and low-carbon produce
for city-dwellers.
The so-called “Green Belt” project, which began in the French municipality of
Pau, rents out modest, two-hectare plots of farmland near the city that are
already prepared and equipped at an affordable rate for fledgling farmers.
“The Green Belt corresponded perfectly to our needs,” says Apesteguy, 30. She
and Chevalier, 28, have run their farm in Rontignon on the outskirts of Pau
since February 2022. “It’s very difficult to find farming land here. And even
then we would have needed a bank loan, which we would have almost certainly
been refused.”
Prospective farmers, who must submit detailed proposals for their farm
projects, are connected with city markets and local restaurants for sales as
well as a subscription service that allows deliveries of food crates to
consumers. Through the process, technical advisers working for the Green Belt
provide mentoring and technical support on the latest methods, such as robotic
systems, new crop species and irrigation optimization."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
