Farm machinery to upgrade the Blayais marshes and create jobs for persons in serious difficulty

Mowing, gathering and compost production were the first wetland conservation activities in North Gironde carried out by AGERAD with minimum wage earners and handicapped workers on back-to-work contracts. Over the years, and as opportunities rose, they evolved into areas such as the cultivation of aromatic plants, ecotourism and environmental awareness.

In a growth context, the association also wants to expand some of its activities, particularly the partnership with the General Council of the region, for the upkeep of vulnerable natural spaces, in order ultimately to boost the number of back-to-work jobs and to professionalize its training system.

AGERAD performs mowing and crushing services for various clients such as the Departmental Federation of Hunters of Gironde, the General Council - already mentioned -, the Bird Protection League and other entities, for whom it produces and markets the compost prepared from the harvested plants.

The present equipment is inadequate to meet local demand for mowing and upkeep of wetland prairies, particularly when the association seeks to expand its marketing into "organics" and to prospect a new clientele. Two farm tractors, a rotary disk mower and two trailers are needed to guarantee the development of an activity that generates new contracts.

This project promotes the return to work of highly disadvantaged persons, while contributing to the environmental conservation of a vulnerable natural area.
And it also - its primary goal - assists the return to work or recognized qualitative training for a public suffering from handicaps, for whom this is sometimes the last chance.