A Gironde company is proposing to set up vegetable bins in companies, communities, schools, nursing homes … in the agglomeration of Bordeaux. She agrees to help with cultivation and harvesting for a subscription. 50% of the productions will be delivered to the Food Bank.
When the creators of “New vegetable gardens“presented their project to the Food Bank of the Gironde, the latter immediately accepted. “It’s a very original idea“approved Pierrette Castagné, the communications manager of the charity.
It is an excellent idea ! And this is the first time that vegetables will be produced specifically for us!
“Usually, we collect surplus or unsold products from supermarkets, farmers, manufacturers or collective catering.“With these solidarity vegetable gardens, part of the production will be specially intended to help the most disadvantaged.
Plant, cultivate, harvest, share
“It is indeed a new concept that we are launching in Bordeaux. We wanted to act in the face of increasingly glaring food insecurity, to provide concrete help“explains Olivier Mignon, one of the co-founders of Les Nouveaux Potagers.
He also wanted to bounce back from the current craze for healthy and local food and for urban agriculture. And then “we observe a growing desire of people to give more meaning to their daily lives, to invest, to get involved for the common goodThe idea then sprouted to set up vegetable gardens to be shared and cultivated with others.
During the coffee break
“We offer bins of different sizes. For a bin measuring 4 m by 1m20, for example, we charge 900 euros. This includes the accessories: apron, glove, seal, rake … everything you need to maintain without getting dirty during the coffee break or between noon and two“.
Olivier Mignon targets companies, local communities, residents’ associations but also higher schools, nurseries, epahd. “It is a social and united approach that promotes local biodiversity and helps to change behaviorThis can also be a source of cohesion within a company and could appeal to human resources managers.
“It is a way of vegetating certain places and creating moments of conviviality. Especially since we know the soothing and stress-relieving virtues of gardening“.
The intervention of a gardener twice a month
No special skills are required. A gardener will take care of everything. It will help plant, maintain the bin, fight disease and harvest. He will take care of all the thankless tasks for a monthly subscription of 100 to 290 euros depending on the services rendered and the size of the vegetable garden. He will also be able to lead workshops.
“We work with 4 gardeners – market gardeners who will take turns and spend every 15 days with our future members. All you have to do is water, watch it grow, harvest and taste“.
50% of the production can be recovered by the members. They agree to reserve the other half for the Food Bank. “We will come and collect the crates and deliver them to the association ourselves“specifies Olivier Mignon.
“We have three pending orders at the moment“he assures. A first” witness bin “has been installed in the Bacalan district. With the hope of seeing some grow everywhere in the city. Each bin should allow the production of at least 50 kg of vegetables per year.
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