A pedagogical garden to teach the rural life

For more than seven years, La Roque-d'Anthéron has enjoyed the services of a rural center. On one of the fallow plots, the association created a family garden in 2000.30 families were asked to upgrade private plots and a common space from which the surplus produce isoffered to the local food bank. The garden also hosts pedagogical and cultural events around organic cultivation. The association's next plan is to convert part of the garden in to a discovery circuit open to the public.

A venue for teaching and friendship

This new project involves developing an itinerary on the themes of biodiversity, the history of vegetables, medicinal plants, and herbs and spices. An entertaining artistic itinerary based on water is also planned: its history, evolution, transport and production. The association wants to supplement its reception of the visitors by offering a table d'hôtes supper every evening.

To complete these initiatives, the rural center has to carry out substantial operations: creation of a botanical itinerary (plantations, structures, bulletin boards, etc.), redecoration of a cabin to install the dinner arrangements and sales point. It also has to design the pedagogical events which mark the itinerary. The Veolia foundation will help it acquire the necessary facilities for these projects and also to intensify vegetable production. These actions will consolidate three permanent jobs: a full-time organizer and gardener, and three persons under an integration contract.