Inspirational ideas: Healthy, tasty and social vegetables

Organic vegetables, carefully grown and harvested just 30km from Bucharest (Romania), delivered to consumers in the city on the very day they are picked. ‘bio&co’ farm applies an inspiring social farming model, creating jobs for disadvantaged people in the local area, “The human being is at the centre of everything we do; our vegetables have a taste of work, of dignity, of solidarity, of nature and of the land from which they grow.” Explains Damien Thiery, Director general of Ateliere Fără Frontiere.

Social farming is an example of diversification in farming which combines agricultural production with the development and promotion of social services such as training and employment. This leads to economic growth and social inclusion and therefore contributes to the local development of rural areas.

Ateliere Fără Frontiere (‘Workshops without borders’) is a Romanian not-for-profit organisation working for the social, professional and civic integration of vulnerable and marginalised people. It has three main ‘workshops’: recycling electronic equipment; transforming waste advertising banners into bags and accessories; and, bio&co social farm. “In all three of our social enterprises, our focus is the fight against exclusion, poverty and discrimination as well as the fight against waste and pollution. We build solidarity and support local education and development” Damien further explains.

The aim of the bio&co project is to test and prove the efficiency and transferability of a social farming model which can be scaled-up elsewhere in Romania. Ateliere Fără Frontiere began bio&co in 2015 inspired by the Jardins de Cocagne social farming network in France. They started the farm from scratch, renting an area of farmland in the Ciocănari village, hiring an agricultural specialist.

bio&co now works with fifteen employees from vulnerable communities in the local area and from Bucharest. Damien explains “We employ people from the local community, mainly from the Roma ethnic group, they are out of the cycle of work because they are marginalised due to their ethnicity, plus they have very limited mobility possibilities to come and work in Bucharest for instance.” They also employ two farmers, one as farm manager and a second running projects. Social assistants from the association are also involved on a day-to-day basis.

An objective of bio&co is to train their employees and prepare them for full and professional reintegration into the conventional labour market. They also strive to connect people from urban and rural areas. “We have a commitment to help most vulnerable people to get back to society. For our employees, we offer individualised socio-professional support as part of the working day.” This includes a range of help from technical training, language support, book-keeping to counselling. “We also only give full-time contracts instead of seasonal, this means our employees have job security” Damien adds.

bio&co has 5 hectares of agricultural land and 4000m² of non-heated greenhouses to produce vegetables all year round. The team currently produces almost 100 different types of organic vegetables grown under the principles of organic farming which protect biodiversity and the environment. They have created a platform for composting and reusing organic waste on-site and with nearby farms. Solar panels and a water well are other recent additions to the farm, contributing to reducing its carbon footprint.

They run a veg-box scheme in partnership with businesses in the city, including a zero-waste shop and a book shop, where people can go and collect their produce. On the website you can find healthy, tasty recipes and information on the health benefits of each of the vegetables they grow. They also have a Facebook group so that their clients can exchange with one another, sharing recipes for example. “Promoting a healthier lifestyle, a balanced and healthy diet for all is a main principle of ours. We carry out awareness campaigns in schools.” Damien continues.

bio&co also organises events such as Harvest Feast in October. Participants are taken on a tour of the farm to see how the vegetables are grown, harvested and delivered. “This is the opportunity where the work of our employees on the farm is recognised by the entire community.” Says Damien.

bio&co is currently trying out a number of new initiatives such as a pedagogical farm providing information on healthy eating, biodiversity, waste reduction and environmental protection. It also includes a sensory discovery for children where they can learn to plant seeds. Funding however remains a struggle. bio&co relies on private sponsorship to complete the money made from sales, in order to provide decent wages and support to its employees.

Damien concludes, “It’s really important for our project to be scalable to the rest of the country. This is our next mission. There are many places in Romania in similar situations, where currently certain communities are excluded from society. This kind of initiative could bring real economic, social and environmental benefits.” Ateliere Fără Frontiere is already involved in Erasmus+ projects and Damien is an expert in the EU CAP Network Focus Group ‘Social farming and innovations’ sharing learnings with other social farms in Europe.

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Contact:

Damien THIERY

damien.thiery@atelierefarafrontiere.ro

+40 314 259 010

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