Context
Eating better comes about through education and communication aimed at raising awareness among the inhabitants of a region, which itself represents a real source of food, jobs, well-being and landscapes.
Through its action, the Terre de Mars farm participates in meeting the major challenges of our societies:
- Producing while respecting biodiversity, soil quality and preserving resources
- Responding to a crucial demand for healthy, local vegetable production
- Restoring a vital link between humans, agriculture and food to eat better
- Preserving landscapes, soils and fertile land on the edge of cities
Project
Terre de Mars is a farm in Marseille that combines market gardening, cuisine and landscape to participate in the emergence of a new way of producing, living and nourishing in a Mediterranean context.
Installed since January 2015 in the Sainte-Marthe district of Marseille, Terre de Mars has created a micro farm over one hectare of land in diverse market gardening. Forty different vegetables are grown throughout the seasons without heavy mechanization and chemistry. The crops are shared between 7000m2 of crops on hillocks, 400m2 of crops under shelter and 2000m2 of orchard and market gardens managed in agroforestry.
"By reviving the ‘Mas des Gorguettes’ (a country house in the Sainte Marthe district), this urban agriculture project aims to create a dynamic through the production of food as close to the city as possible.The ambition of Terre de Mars is to find a socio-economic model that can be reproduced on different urban sites in Marseille and elsewhere.
Since our creation in 2015 our seeds have been labeled AB, all our inputs are organic (and local) and we do not use any chemicals. The basket prices are fixed all year round, the price of vegetables is based on the market price of organic market gardeners in the Bouches du Rhône. The basket contains seasonal vegetables from our production, we buy some in addition from other local market gardeners (mainly in the winter) to ensure a variety of products throughout the year. ”, explain the project leaders on their website.
Results
This production allows Terre de Mars to currently feed around thirty families each week through the direct sale of fruit and vegetable baskets to residents and delivery to businesses in the neighborhood.
Terre de Mars offers 3 new workshop formulas for school children, adaptable to everyone. The team also offers simple visits, workshops or mini-courses, for different school cycles. For information, contact : visite@terredemars.fr
Project leaders
Terre de Mars is supported by 4 project leaders, initially landscape architects and urban planners. Today, the team consists of Pablo, Augustin, Maxime and Arthur.
The little extra
Terre de Mars also offers a catering service - From Seed to Plate - for events, and can travel around the region. Prices and availability are on their website. Terre de Mars cooks its own vegetables to highlight the flavors of real local products.
Last modification : 09 Jul 2020.
Terre de Mars
Terre de Mars is a farm in Marseille that combines market gardening, cuisine and landscape to participate in the emergence of a new way of producing, living and nourishing in a Mediterranean context.