Jardins partagés
The "Jardins Partagés" initiative aims to create "edible" natural spaces in the city, offering the population access to healthy, sustainable, local food that is accessible to all, as well as access to places where people can share and meet.
Overview of the project
The city of Montfermeil is committed to a project for urban and sustainable agriculture in order to maintain and preserve local biodiversity, through the creation of shared gardens.
These gardens allow the population to learn about the principles of environmentally friendly agriculture and permaculture. The development of a training plan for permaculture has been implemented. This plan was offered free of charge to all citizens.
The first experimental permaculture site was created in 2016 and is located at 20 rue Ampère. It was an opportunity for the Environment Department to test different modes of sustainable cultivation such as those of permaculture.
In 2017-2018, a shared permaculture site was opened at the Arboretum Park. This permaculture space is available to individuals who have completed permaculture courses as well as to an association dedicated to the environment.
In 2019, a new shared and adapted permaculture site was opened for the ESAT de l’Agecet (life home for disabled adults) accompanied by a training cycle.
Other sites are now underway such as the one on Daniel Perdrigé Street which will see the light of day in late 2021. This new site will be composed of “traditional garden” type plots and “permaculture” type plots (it is in no way a commercial approach to the sale of vegetables).
No phytosanitary products are used in all the shared garden spaces.
These sites have three objectives:
- Economic objective: to offer households in difficulty the opportunity to access healthy, local food and thus save money. Residents will have the opportunity to produce their own food with seasonal products that they themselves have grown.
- Environmental objective: the methods of agriculture practised on the sites are environmentally friendly, in the preservation of the soil and sustainable production, energy-efficient and respectful of living beings. Increase local biodiversity and enhance the value of the ecosystem of these sites by installing nesting boxes, insect hotels, melliferous plants and ponds are arranged so that bees, hedgehogs etc… can drink. In addition, rainwater harvesters are installed on each side to preserve a maximum of drinking water resources.
- In addition, these spaces also have an educational objective (visits and workshops for schools). The Maison de la nature is associated with these shared permaculture gardens. It is a place of education in which permaculture courses are given and/or the inhabitants are made aware of the meaning of the seasons and the conditions of food cultivation.
To create in the city spaces of "edible" nature, offering the population access to healthy, sustainable, local and accessible food but also access to places of sharing and meetings between inhabitants.
Ongoing research
01/01/2016 - *ongoing project
All the plots of the shared permaculture garden in the Arboretum Park are full, as well as those in the Agecet and the Bosquets neighbourhood.
Soon, 50 plots will be available on the Daniel Perdrigé street lot, following a growing demand from the inhabitants.
The inhabitants are more and more interested in permaculture and more and more of them sign up for the permaculture courses given by the city.
A digital platform has also been set up in order to reinforce the links, the barter, the good practices between the permaculturists.
Many testimonies are made by households and families to the Mayor of Montfermeil.
In addition, a vegetable garden contest is organized every year and is a great success. Two years ago, an outdoor photo exhibition was organized, allowing each permaculturist to present their mound and/or plot.
This project is co-financed by the City of Montfermeil, the Metropolis of Greater Paris and the Ile-de-France Region.
organisation
Montfermeil is a French commune located in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis in the Ile-de-France region. The city has about 27,000 inhabitants.
In recent years, the city of Montfermeil has been working to raise awareness of biodiversity by carrying out actions that are part of an educational approach to citizens (permaculture/beekeeping workshop courses, intervention in schools, provision of shared spaces).
The city has been awarded the label “Territoire engagé pour la nature et la biodiversité” (Territory committed to nature and biodiversity) by the Agence Régionale de la Biodiversité (ARB) and APIcité by the Union Nationale de l’Apiculture Française (UNAF). Montfermeil is also a signatory of the Nature Charter of the Greater Paris Metropolis (MGP).