Herault department of France, September 2023
Introduction:
Eudeline, a market gardener based in the Hérault department of France, is both a trained forestry engineer and agronomist. She began her career studying and introducing agroforestry systems in tropical regions. In 2018, she bought a six-hectare parcel of forest in the Hérault department, between the villages of Berlou, Escagnès, and La Mausse. This privately-owned plot, surrounded by communal land, was farmed until the 70s and 80s then abandoned ever since.
Eudeline chose this plot for several reasons: it’s in the region where she grew up and has strong family ties. What’s more, the plot is in a white spot, which is important since Eudeline has been extremely sensitive to electromagnetic waves for several years now.
Eudeline’s plan was to create a garden forest within three years: by planting 1,480 trees of 63 different species over 3.4 hectares of land. The main objective is to harvest the edible leaves of these trees and transform them into powders to produce food supplements for city people without the time to cook and eat the recommended five fruit and vegetables a day. She produces green and red/purple powders from the leaves of trees such as lime, mulberry, and hazelnut. Another part of her project was to introduce edible plants to gourmet cooking.
Eudeline’s project is an innovative agroforestry initiative that doesn’t tick the ‘traditional boxes’ of an agroforestry project. She received technical support from the Association Française d’Agroforesterie (AFAF) and the Hérault Chamber of Agriculture. In 2018, the AFAF proposed the project to A Tree for You (ATFY) for funding. It was selected by the ATFY Selection Committee in early 2019.
Different stages of the project and difficulties encountered:
The project started in March 2019 with initial manual preparation of the soil, buying the seedlings, and the first test planting.
Right from the first test planting stage, Eudeline was confronted with various difficulties: the work was tough in this sloping, stony environment, it was impossible to use machinery on the plot, and access was difficult. had to do the work alone, which meant it took longer than she had anticipated. Then, once planting was completed, the plot was vandalised.
Eudeline continued planting the other plots over the winters of 2019, 2020, and 2021. Sometimes helped by her husband and farm volunteers, the work and planting conditions remained tough. The difficult access and lack of roads or paths complicated the delivery of seedlings and organising participative planting work.
There were several other difficulties too. The plot lies between two municipalities that feed wild boar raised for hunting. Already many of them, their numbers increased multiplied during the Covid-19 period, when hunting was forbidden. As a result, game animals (especially wild boar, but also roe deer) caused a huge amount of damage to the young trees throughout the planting period. Eudeline tried to find solutions, namely by revising the layout plan; she replanted the tree species that had suffered from the wildlife and reinforced the tree protection measures. She also contacted the local hunting association to try and relocate the feeding points, without success.
Eudeline also mentioned another difficulty linked to climate change. According to her, the region is really suffering from drought and water shortages, which are increasing every year.
Finally, on a more personal level, Eudeline is severely handicapped by her extreme sensitivity to electromagnetic waves and a work accident (resulting in difficulty using her left arm), which have prevented her from carrying out her work for days at a time and isolate her.
Despite all these challenges, Eudeline always remained steadfast and motivated to replant and continue planting. Often at her own expense.
The project is drawing to a close and the objectives cannot be achieved:
In April 2023, the ATFY team, accompanied by local partner AFAF, visited the site to talk to Eudeline and see what remained of the plantation.
After four years of planting and replanting, the project has achieved a tree survival rate of less than 10%. The hazards, especially natural, and to a much lesser extent human, have simply been too numerous and repetitive.
In particular, the auditors saw with their own eyes the extensive damage caused to the young trees by game animals (especially wild boar and roe deer), as well as the impact of climate change in the region, mainly recurring droughts.
A Tree for You and AFAF have decided to end the ‘Hérault: forest cultivated by a young market gardener” project since the objectives could not be attained. Unfortunately, ATFY cannot honour its meet its commitments to individual and corporate sponsors.
This conclusion is a huge disappointment for Eudeline since the project has been her main job (she also picks wild plants). Despite all her good will, she was unable to pull off this innovative and ambitious initiative. It is however important to bear in mind her determination to continue planting in a small, well-protected area. This change of scale might help the farm survive on a modest scale.
We wish Eudeline all the best for the future!
Previously on Eudeline’s project
