two market gardening brothers share their different vision of sustainable agriculture

When the two brothers, Grégoire and Matthias launch their new market gardening season, each works hard on their farm to give substance to their vision of agroecology. In the film “Les agrofrangins”, behind the camera, to collect their confidences and question the bond that unites them, there is their third brother: Thibault, the director.

“Les agrofrangins”, a film by Thibault Servan. A Block 8 productions & Les Agrofrangins production.

The film begins with archive footage of children playing and teasing each other. Family films, where we already sense a certain complicity between brothers, with even today, the pleasure of being together. In this siblings of five brothers and sisters, Grégoire and Matthias. Today, in the same region around Toulouse, they are each preparing to launch the market gardening season.

Often accomplices, sometimes rivals, they chose the same profession. Both became agricultural engineers. However, they are committed to models of sustainable agriculture which are not the same.

Two different trajectories but a common initial desire on which the two brothers are unanimous:

We wanted to find a career that was meaningful.

Grégoire and Matthias Servan

Then a third brother, Thibault, arrives. Director of the film, he decides to take his camera to film his two brothers and understand, through their respective vision of agriculture, the men they have become.

“I fell head, foot and heart into agroforestry”

Grégoire set up on an autonomous microfarm in the Gers with partners. He practices syntropic agriculture. An approach very respectful of nature and ecosystems, which consists of protecting, above all, living things. A form of sustainable agriculture that he practices on his 3 hectare plot in the Gers.

“There are a lot of words linked to the new agriculture and when you don’t have your nose in it you’re a little lost.” says the youngest brother. He continues with the differences between organic agriculture, agroecology or even syntropic agriculture, specifying the techniques associated with them.

“We started with a small vegetable garden” explains Grégoire. Then, the desire to settle down took hold and he took over the place little by little. “At first, the local farmers called us the Mawagits (which means clumsy in local patois)or the poets“, says the youngest of the brothers, “Well Named“, he said laughing, looking towards his brother: “You know dad, he didn’t teach us how to put a screw“. Today, “Mawagits” is the name of his farm.

After classical training in France, in which he did not find himself, Grégoire enrolled in a double degree in Brazil. He stayed there for two years. Time to discover tropical agriculture. A revelation he explains: “There, I fell head, foot and heart into agroforestry and really understood that it had to be the basis of our ecosystems: trees and perennial plants.“.

“That’s how it works” explains Matthias, pragmatic. His motivation? A lucrative job in organic agriculture. He chose to be an employee of mass distribution. In Tarn, he cultivates 34 hectares of land bought by the managers of a supermarket, motivated by ecological commitment.

He explains his project: trying to make a profitable model and developing the largest organic market gardening farm in the department. “I discovered market gardening on the Fortier model” he explains. A Quebec market gardener, who became a wealthy entrepreneur, a fan of intensive organic microfarms.

Two different practices for the same objective: “finding meaning”. How do the two brothers deal with their differences? Are their methods compatible? This touching documentary of spontaneity and authenticity takes us to the heart of humans and nature, questioning us on the issues of sustainable agriculture.

Watch the debate on the theme presented by Patrick Noviello on 05/09/2024 around 11:40 p.m. To be found from this date on France.tv