The story of Charles, Perrine and their farm
Miraculous Abundance is not only the English title of the book published in 2014 by the French couple Perrine and Charles Hervé-Gruyer, but is also the perfect summary of the results obtained with their project and of the message that with fervour and conviction they want to transmit to all of us and to future generations of farmers. Charles and Perrine’s story is one of those that warms the heart, instils inspiration in those who are searching for change and gives hope to those who see an increasingly grey future on the horizon. But who are Charles and Perrine? And what have they done that’s so special?
Clear and unconventional ideas
In 2006 Charles and Perrine founded an organic farm: La Ferme du Bec Hellouin, in Normandy, and decided to become farmers, living off what they would produce and sell. Nothing exceptional so far, if it weren’t that neither of them could boast training in agriculture, nor had ever even been on a visit to an organic farm. Charles, in fact, had been for years a sailor and researcher, having come into contact with the most varied indigenous tribes of the world, whilst Perrine had carried out her activity as a lawyer at international level, living for several years in Japan. To add even more difficulty to the numerous challenges already on the plate, Perrine and Charles defined from the outset that theirs would not be just any organic farm, in fact they would not make use of any machinery to work the land or harvest its fruits, but only their strength and that of some draught animals. Moreover they would not use plastic to cover the soil (widely used in conventional organic agriculture to limit weed growth), but would seek natural and non-polluting alternatives. The authors don’t hide the initial difficulties, the mistakes made through naivety or inexperience and the moments of discouragement they went through, but they also tell of the consistency, faith in the project and external encouragement that guided and urged them to go forward.
The permaculture turning point
Then the turning point. In October 2008 a friend sends Charles and Perrine an article that introduces them to a new concept: permaculture. So they learn a method based on the observation of the functions of natural ecosystems (which by definition are sustainable, self-sufficient and resilient) and which allows taking them as a model to create more autonomous, sustainable and efficient human habitats. They therefore begin to design in permaculture: they create raised beds in which to grow vegetables, a synergistic vegetable garden in the shape of a Mandala, terracing, a forest garden and even manage to re-fertilise the western part of the farm, characterised by poor and rocky soil, giving life to a network of small ponds and two islands, also soon converted into vegetable gardens. The authors learn that in permaculture the waste from one activity becomes a precious resource for another and even so-called “weeds” are no longer seen as such (Charles at a certain point refuses to call them so), but as pioneer plants, also with their function, such as for example nettle, which with its high nitrogen and mineral content, becomes an excellent mulch for raised beds.
In permaculture the waste from one activity becomes a precious resource for another
Unlike what one might think, Charles and Perrine don’t stop in their research on alternative agriculture methods, in fact after Bill Mollison, David Holmgren and Sepp Holzer (permaculture) over the years they also study and explore the works of John Seymour, John Jeavons, Eliot Coleman, Mokichi Okada, Masanobu Fukuoka and the Parisian farmers of the 19th century, who by developing the market garden technique (bio-intensive vegetable gardens), allowed the entire city of Paris to be self-sufficient from a food point of view throughout the year. To a cynical eye it might seem that Charles and Perrine, in fact, haven’t invented anything, but their merit undoubtedly resides in the practical ability to put together all these influences to promote the concept of “ecological agriculture” which is situated between the permaculture method, in the way it was conceived, and the construction of a cultivated and inhabited landscape, which highlights organic, intensive and professional cultivation on a reduced surface.
Small, well-tended and hyper-productive: here’s the vegetable garden of the future
It’s in fact important to emphasise the fact that La Ferme du Bec Hellouin doesn’t have a particularly large extension (about 2 hectares), but its productivity is unequalled. The authors dwell a lot on this concept: small but very well-tended is definitely better than large but neglected – a wide extension isn’t needed to have miraculous abundance! In traditional agriculture (and in common opinion) one is used to thinking that more surface means more productivity, but this is a conviction that will necessarily have to be dismantled in the imminent future. Today traditional agriculture is bound to oil and the machinery used: one cannot plant more different species in the same soil because machines wouldn’t manage to harvest them, vegetable rows must have a certain distance between them (which is usually that of machines) etc. However, when in a few years oil will no longer be so available, we’ll have to come to terms with this reality. And in what does man beat the machine? In his versatility and in his capacity to harvest even completely different species that share the same surface. So the authors see in the spread of micro-agriculture also an environmental, economic, social and wellbeing recipe that can give a brighter perspective to the challenges that the future, now near, presents us with.
Small but very well-tended is definitely better than large but neglected – a wide extension isn’t needed to have miraculous abundance
Long live biodiversity
The results achieved by the passion, tenacity and vision of this couple are extraordinary: today La Ferme du Bec Hellouin counts more than 500 varieties of fruit trees, a hundred berry shrubs, numerous varieties of vegetables and herbs, as well as an enviable diversity of animals, insects and birds. The key word therefore is: biodiversity! And stating it are not only the authors of the book, but also agronomists and university researchers who in these years have collaborated and conducted studies precisely on La Ferme du Bec Hellouin. Finally Charles and Perrine’s success wasn’t limited to building, living and working in a wonderful place, but driven by the growing demand for visits, information and courses, they also gave life to a reception and training centre where permaculture courses are held, alternating theory and practice. At La Ferme du Bec Hellouin it’s possible to experience production, research and education all in the same place, an opportunity that every year attracts several hundred people to the courses. Charles and Perrine at a certain point reflect and ask themselves: is it possible to create a post-oil society that combines the harmony of “primitive” populations with the technical and cognitive innovations of the modern era? It seems to us that they are already on the right path and we hope that their example can increasingly become a replicable model!
SUGGESTED BOOKS:
