Through Its 1% for the Planet Membership, terre d’Oc Supports the School of Seed Savers

Posted on: 13 • 11 • 2020
 

Through its contribution to 1% for the Planet, terre d’Oc supports the School of Seed Savers, an innovative farm school for young people who have left the traditional school system.

école des semeurs

An Innovative School

Founded in February 2018 in Beaumesnil, Normandy, our nonprofit organization, the School of Seed Savers, trains young people who have left the traditional school system in the professions of fresh produce retailing and organic market gardening.

Today, we support eight students, most of whom are between 16 and 18 years old. They are preparing for the CAP Primeur vocational qualification, learning how to sell locally sourced produce through short supply chains while discovering the agroecological practices of organic market gardening.

Our school is built on the concept of a school-enterprise with a social mission:

• Welcome young people aged 16 to 18 who have disengaged from the traditional school system.

• Teach both practical skills and essential life skills.

• Enable a gradual integration into professional life.

• Restore confidence in young people who have struggled within an educational system that did not meet their needs, through hands-on work with the land.

• Foster the full personal development and well-being of the young people we support.

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On the farm, students learn a wide range of organic market gardening techniques, both mechanized and manual, covering every stage from seed selection to product processing and sales. They are fully involved in production and commercial activities. Farmers' markets, pick-your-own harvesting at the farm, and sales to local institutions provide valuable opportunities for interaction, learning, and recognition of their work.

One-third of the students’ time is devoted to academic studies (mathematics, French, history, geography, and more), closely linked to their practical training. For example, in mathematics, they work on crop area calculations and sales statistics based on the farm’s activities.

Our Approach

➜ WELCOME

➜ TRAIN

➜ CERTIFY

➜ INTEGRATE

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An Exceptional and Historic Setting

We are fortunate to be based within the farm buildings of the Château de Beaumesnil, which house our offices and changing facilities, and to cultivate part of its surrounding land for our agricultural activities. This unique location not only helps preserve and showcase the history of this remarkable site but also allows us to immerse our students in a rich cultural environment.

The market garden covers 4.5 hectares and includes:

• Two greenhouses dedicated to diversified year-round production, including lettuces, tomatoes, seedling propagation, and other seasonal crops.

• Permanent growing beds and raised cultivation mounds outdoors, used to grow a variety of annual fruiting and vegetable crops such as tomatoes, squash, and many others.

chateau de Beaumesnil

• Aromatic herbs such as basil, parsley, rosemary, and many others, as well as areas dedicated to perennial berry crops including raspberries, rhubarb, redcurrants, blackcurrants, and more.

• An edible hedgerow surrounding the cultivated plots, featuring plum trees, cherry trees, acacias, and other species. The school also maintains close ties with the neighboring special education institute (IME): we benefit from access to some of their facilities, and one of their students completes a two-day-per-week internship with us.

“In traditional school, learning wasn’t enjoyable—it often felt like a punishment. Here, things are different. Being here makes me feel good.” — Mélanie, student.

école maraîchage

The young people value being actively involved in every stage of the production process, right through to sales, where they can see the smile on their customers’ faces. Their self-confidence grows through the pride of seeing the results of their work and experiencing the satisfaction of serving others.

Students discover the rhythm of the seasons and the cycle of plant life, from seed to flower or fruit: sowing, planting, caring for crops, watering, weeding, pruning, and more.

These practical skills are acquired through care, patience, and effort.

In this rewarding environment, our students gradually develop their professional skills while learning to respect and care for the environment that sustains them.

Guy Gilbert, a renowned educator for more than 50 years, explains that beauty will save the world (echoing Dostoevsky) and that a beautiful, welcoming, and joyful garden inspires people to do good.

Various studies have highlighted the educational and therapeutic benefits of nature-based activities for young people:

• The development of all five senses and greater awareness of the body and motor skills.

• Greater serenity, improved physical and psychological well-being, reduced anxiety, and increased resilience to stress.

• Improved self-esteem.

• Enhanced concentration and better quality sleep.

Motivated young people, a beautiful setting, a dedicated team, wonderful vegetables, and committed partners—this is the recipe for a truly inspiring school!

école des semeurs
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