Integration, wetlands and organic compost

"I've been familiar with Agerad for about ten years, and love using its compost: you just have to look at the tomato vines in my vegetable garden to understand why! By consolidating its precarious installations, the nonprofit is finalizing its establishment in the heart of one of the last wetlands in the district, by using the resources of the territory to develop jobs aimed at a public needing to get back to work. "

Caroline Gross

Association pour la Gestion Écologique des Ressources Agricoles et Dérivés (Agerad) counsels people in serious difficulty for a future contract (minimum wage earners) or counseling contracts toward a job (handicapped workers) through activities focused on the conservation and enhancement of the Blayais swamps (Gironde estuary). Since its inception, in 1994, Agerad has explored several development alternatives, all linked with the conservation and exploitation of the swamps of North Gironde, the utilization of the plant material harvested in the wet prairies (mowing, picking and compost production), its historic activity, to the cultivation of aromatic plants, and including ecotourism, environmental awareness raising, etc. The nonprofit employs 25 people today under back-to-work contracts.

An activity that is expanding... and looks permanent

Agerad is developing a commercial branch to sell compost in bags, thereby supplementing its production of organic compost from plants harvested during upkeep operations on prairies belonging to many partners: local municipalities, private individuals, Gironde hunters federation, general council. To do this, it is creating a screening/bagging station to produce and package its compost, consisting of a 400 m² concreted production area, a rotary sieve, semi-automatic bagging machines (10 to 100 liter bags, 1m³ big-bags) and a telescopic lift truck for handling the material on site.

In setting up organic certification of its production, the nonprofit is accompanied by ENRgéthic, specialist in compost production. This project helps open up new jobs and consolidate existing ones, while structuring the business activity and, ultimately, the recruitment of additional technical staff.

Alongside the regional council of Aquitaine, the general council of the Gironde, the Foundation Agir Pour l'Emploi and the RTE Foundation, the Veolia Foundation is renewing its support for Agerad, after having assisted it in 2009 in the development of its wetland upkeep activity.

OTHER PROJECT SUPPORTED

Association pour la Gestion Écologique des Ressources Agricoles et Dérivés (AGERAD): Support for the activities of a workforce development association in Gironde by participating in the purchase of farm machinery.
Domain: Social and employment
Country: France
Endowment: 29/09/2009
> Learn more about this project