Beyond the domestic garden, none of the three had too much contact with agriculture before starting the project. Linked to the studies, Bruniau knew the peasant movement that fought against the speculation of the land near Paris, and was interested in the subject. “I have studied law, but at the end of the career I worked the land and the right to food,” he explains. At the end of the work, Bruniau found a subsidy for associations promoting environmental initiatives. So he came up with the project of orchard in the land of the house that they had left until then.

Currently, project members work collectively on the plot of about 2,200 square meters. “In total, some 60 people participate in the collaborative garden, but it varies greatly depending on the weekend. In some working sessions we got together 30 people and five others,” he says. There are also fruit trees: apples, cherry trees, pears, peaches and others. “We don’t sell what we produce, the people who come here to work bring the vegetables home, we share everything.”

Educating in permaculture

In the Ereinez Hazi project they work under the principles of permaculture. The terrain is sloping and everything is done by hand, without machining: “Pedagogy is one of the objectives of the project.” In addition to the peers who approach gardening, their intention is to work with children and young people: “We have tried with the children of the centers. I’ve gone to introduce you the project and then they come to the ground.” Through games, children learn about land and agriculture, and they also make plantations with them.

They have also offered other workshops for the general public: cooking, seeds, medicinal plants and soil fertilizers. “The idea is to create a living space, a living space to share and exchange.”