Background & challenges
Formerly a general practitioner, Marion has made a professional reconversion to get closer to her two passions: health and nature. She started farming and harvests perfumed, aromatic and medicinal plants (PPAM) on her plots. These include thyme, rosemary, savory, calendula, lemon verbena, licorice, mint, basil, white stock, lemon balm and lavender.
Marion has integrated collective agricultural approaches and is at the origin of the creation of the Groupement d’intérêt économique et Environnemental (Economic and Environmental Interest Grouping), which is called Pack’à PPAM: groups of producers of diversified PPAM, in organic agriculture, on small surfaces in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. The objective is to structure the local sector, share knowledge, support each other, help each other, make group purchases, build small equipment adapted to the needs of the crops together and organise a common marketing channel.
The aim of this project is to structure the landscape by developing a crop of perfume, aromatic and medicinal plants that is resilient, respects the soil and preserves water resources. The farmer turned to agroforestry to meet these challenges, while at the same time bringing biodiversity to her plots.
The installation of 693 trees of 33 different species directly on the plots or around them as hedges will provide a large number of benefits:
- Improvement of the organic matter rate and limitation of soil drying. Soil cover will enable the carbon and nitrogen cycle to be revived, as well as the benefits provided by the presence of soil macrofauna (earthworms for example) and mycorrhizal fungi. All these elements will contribute to making the system more sustainable because it is more autonomous and respectful of the soil.
- Diversification of biodiversity, by allowing the arrival of crop auxiliaries in the plots while feeding the fauna already present. The various tree elements will also serve as shelter, food and passage for the animals.
- Creation of a local and organic sector of perfume, aromatic and medicinal plants in the region.
Project type
Agroforestry
Beneficiaries
Marion, farmer in the Alpes de Haute Provence region
Number of trees
693 long-living trees
Species planted
33 different species
Partner
French Agroforestry Association (AFAF)
Elderberry – Arbustus unédo
Black Elder – Sambuscus nigra
Sea buckthorn – Hippophae rhamnoides
Blackcurrant – Ribes nigrum
Red currant – Ribes rubrum RGE
White currant – Ribes rubrum white
White gooseberry – Ribes uva-crispa white
Red gooseberry – Ribes uva-crispa red
Spanish broom – Spartium junceum
Coronilla – Coronilla
Serviceberry – Amelanchier ovalis
Blood dogwood – Cornus sanguinéa
Juniper – Junipérus communis
Cherry – Prunus cerassus
Almond tree – Prunis dulcis
Plum, wild – Prunus domestica
Plum – Pyrus species
Hawthorn – Craetagus monogyra
Holm oak – Quercus ilex
Sauce laurel – Laurus nobilis
White mulberry – Morus alba
Black mulberry – Morus nigra
White ash – Sorbier aria
Japanese medlar – Eryobotria japonica
Quince tree – Cydonia oblonga
Apple fruit tree – Malus
Provence hackberry – Celtis australis
Montpellier maple – Acer monspessulanum
Pubescent oak – Quercus pubescent
Common walnut – Junglans regia
Common pear – Pyrus communis
Pomegranate – Punica grantum
Pistachio tree – Pistacia vera
Works timeline
- October 2021: soil preparation, reception of plants and staking
- November 2021 to January 2022: planting of trees within the plots with a launch of the site (farmer, AFAF, local partners and members of the GIEE)
- November 2022 to March 2024: replanting and first stage of maintenance with formation pruning of the trees
- 2023 to 2029: maintenance stages (formation pruning and pruning)
Planting partner
Budget
The total budget to be collected is 22€, i.e. 15 246€ per tree planted and perennial, broken down as follows :
- 95% of which is allocated to the planting project, broken down as follows
- Plants and replanting: €2.30
- Mulching: €1.21
- Protection and stakes: €2.9
- Technical advice: €3.4
- Monitoring over 3 years: € 2.00
- Coordination, project management and communication of the AFAF: 5,8 €.
- Collection, monitoring and communication costs of A Tree For You (14,94%): 3,29 €.
- and 5% (€1.10) for the structural costs of A Tree for You.
The farmer is self-financing the soil preparation and planting phases, set at €6.00 per tree.
This project is funded almost entirely by :
