Children from Badinter school planted fig trees
Credit : Alexis Vellayoudom
The project is taking hold. For several days, the Urban Farm, located on 12 hectares of the Plaine d'Aventure in the Saint-Nicolas district, has welcomed its first plantations. This Monday, around twenty students from the Badinter school were on site.
More than 300 fruit trees planted
Boots on their feet, hands in the earth and mud, this Monday, the students of the Badinter school are frolicking in what will be the future urban farm. “What tree are we going to plant? We said earlier, what makes figs?” ; “Fig trees!“In reality, the plantings started last week with the students of the agricultural high school.”There, they are putting the finishing touches on 180 plantations that we have been doing since last week. On another plot next door, we have 160. We planted 8 different species of trees, apple trees, pear trees, plum trees, cherry trees, nashi and fig trees. In total, we have around fifty different varieties planted on the site.“, explain Hervé Françoisin charge of the project for Laval Agglo.
In total, 30 tonnes of fruit will be produced, the first ones will grow in 5 years. “Hopefully they will see the fruit and eat it“, s’amuse Catherine Roy, first grade teacher at Badinter school. The urban farm also has an educational vocation to educate children in the neighborhood about taste and eco-friendly practices. In this class, students take care of, for example, a chicken coop and a vegetable garden. “We are also working on cereals in parallel. We have a bread making project. But it’s true that it’s something they don’t do. These children don't have a garden, so putting their hands in the ground and planting, they're excited.“.
-Feed and create jobs
A few months ago, Patrice Morin, deputy mayor of Laval, in charge of housing and social diversity, confided that this farm was intended to feed 1,000 inhabitants per year: “This responds to a need to bring healthier, quality food to households who are struggling to feed themselves. I'm not talking about eating well, it's simply nourishing yourself. We know that in priority neighborhoods, 30% of households report regularly skipping meals “. The farm is also part of the Territoire Zéro Long-term Unemployed label project in the Saint-Nicolas district where, unlike the rest of the department, the unemployment rate is above 10%. One in two households lives under the poverty line, often women The ambition is therefore to create an employment-oriented company to create 20 positions including five support jobs.We realized that many residents of the neighborhood wanted to work around the land. So between desire and know-how, there is a gap. There are many called, but few chosen because market gardening work is something very special. But in any case, we have a lot of people ready to commit to this training“, recalled the elected official.
READ ALSO. “The outlines of the urban farm project in Laval”
Ultimately, the farm will produce organic vegetables, fruits, eggs, honey, but also a little meat, i.e. 250 tonnes of organic quality products. It will be available to local residents for pick-up or in the form of a basket with social pricing.
