Lot-et-Garonne. They ditch everything in Toulouse for organic in Allons
Through Journalist Marmande
Published on
It may seem both utopian and caricature. The people of the countryside are used to saying: “Ah, more townspeople who come to do organic produce, they won’t hold up! »… Yet the young couple is determined to achieve organic market gardening capable of supporting them as they wish.
The pandemic accelerated their project
Audrey was an educator of young children, Fergus was an aeronautical technician. They had been planning to change their life for a long time: “During our childhood, we lived respectively in a country village”. They probably missed or noticed it again. Also, for some time they had started saving to prepare for this project. The pandemic favored their departure.
In April 2021, they settled on 5 hectares of land, in a but comfortable house in the town of Allons: “We are moving forward to cultivate on 1 hectare, which will be quite sufficient”. In the meantime, with both serenity, lucidity and courage, Audrey and Fergus have started the work. During the summer, they got a small crop of tomatoes and a few other vegetables: “At first, we turned the land by hand. We bought a used tractor, it’s old but works well and that gave us a lot of relief ”.
The couple subsequently set up a greenhouse to house the tomatoes: “we were a little lucky because, elsewhere, tomato production was affected by late blight. We treated with nettle and horsetail manure and our tomatoes resisted. We were able to sell a small organic production to start ”.
Organic label
Indeed, Audrey had taken all the steps to access organic certification with all the constraints that this represents. This label was awarded to them very recently. For the winter, they began to prepare plots with leeks, onions, turnips, salads, onions.
On Allons, the mayor is happy to see a new vegetable stall every Friday on the town square. Other locals and the owner of the Hunter’s Cafe greeted the couple with kindness. They also have the support of their direct neighbor who grows corn.
Steps for registration on the site www.cagette.net are underway: “It is a site that brings together producers of local, organic and fair trade products directly from the farm”.
Audrey and Fergus are also convinced that the elders can contribute a lot in terms of knowledge of chemical-free crops: “It is the 80-year-olds, the cultivators before the intensification of agriculture who still have techniques which do not. are more used and that it should remain in practice ”. On the other hand Audrey and Fergus encounter a major difficulty: watering. The former owner grew asparagus and, when he left, he removed the pumps and pipes located at the end of the field: “For the moment we are doing with the watering can, by hand and with tap water. We plan to install water collectors ”. Their current low income does not allow them to buy a new pump and the pipes that bring water to their crops.
Also, if former farmers had pumps and hoses that they no longer use, they could possibly lend or find an arrangement to facilitate and support these hardworking and young farmers to settle.
For all information: Audrey and Fergus: 07.82.56.64.09
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