The planting season came to an end this year on 27 January, when the last collective planting site took place.
Once again this year, several hundred volunteers came to lend a hand to participants in the Au Pré de Mes Arbres project to plant agroforestry systems, some of which had very different faces. The projects were as diverse as the people who came to lend a hand! Civic service volunteers, young retirees, neighbours, farmers who are curious about or supportive of their schools’ projects and…. Primary school children! This was the case for Sabrina Serres‘ planting project, which brought together 4 classes from Palleville primary school on 17 January.
Here’s the story of a sunny day for the pupils, who came together to plant something green!
It was around 9.30am when a large bus pulled up behind the village square in Le Cabanial. It didn’t take long for around fifty children to appear, shovels in hand and smiles on their faces. The merry band entered the multi-purpose hall, kindly lent by the village council, for a small snack to introduce the day.
“Do you know why we’re here today?” asks Sabrina Serres. “To plant trees! Sabrina had spoken to them a few weeks earlier about the physiology of trees and their benefits for nature and the climate.
Sabrina is a farmer in Veilhe (Haute-Garonne) who is changing careers and is now planting an agroforestry system on her 1.4 hectare plot. She plans to grow fruit for the local market and wicker for handicrafts for the department’s basket-makers, as well as creating a welcoming space with a variety of atmospheric qualities for a broad public as part of an inclusive approach. In this way, she is weaving a bridge between her social fibre and her new passion for agriculture that respects the living world.
After Sabrina and the Envol Vert teams had given the group a few minutes to brush up on their knowledge of trees, the whole group set off for Sabrina’s plot, located on the banks of the river and partly in a flood zone – slush in the forecast!
Romain and the children set off
After carefully observing the planting demonstration, the pupils set about planting the hedgerow that will separate the plot from the road, the wind and some nearby conventionally farmed fields (Sabrina is in the process of obtaining the organic farming label). With the help of teachers, social workers and volunteers from Envol Vert, the children planted nearly 60 trees in an hour!
After a packed lunch to recharge the batteries, it was off again to Sabrina’s field. One group mulches the planted trees with shredded wood, and we put protective sheaths on them. For the other group, it’s a writing workshop! Each pupil wrote a message of encouragement or a wish for the trees they had just planted. The (biodegradable) papers are placed at the foot of the trees. “I wish my tree could talk”, “I hope to see you again soon, my brother”, the sensitivity to living things is built up from an early age.
Child’s drawing
The day ended in good spirits, and the sun was still shining. The pupils will be back soon to see their trees after a season of growth!
The day was organised as part of the Au Pré de Mes Arbres project in partnership with the Des Enfants et des Arbres association, which supported Sabrina Serres in her agroforestry project.
The planting season came to an end this year on 27 January, when the last collective planting site took place.
Once again this year, several hundred volunteers came to lend a hand to participants in the Au Pré de Mes Arbres project to plant agroforestry systems, some of which had very different faces. The projects were as diverse as the people who came to lend a hand! Civic service volunteers, young retirees, neighbours, farmers who are curious about or supportive of their schools’ projects and…. Primary school children! This was the case for Sabrina Serres‘ planting project, which brought together 4 classes from Palleville primary school on 17 January.
Here’s the story of a sunny day for the pupils, who came together to plant something green!
It was around 9.30am when a large bus pulled up behind the village square in Le Cabanial. It didn’t take long for around fifty children to appear, shovels in hand and smiles on their faces. The merry band entered the multi-purpose hall, kindly lent by the village council, for a small snack to introduce the day.
“Do you know why we’re here today?” asks Sabrina Serres. “To plant trees! Sabrina had spoken to them a few weeks earlier about the physiology of trees and their benefits for nature and the climate.
Sabrina is a farmer in Veilhe (Haute-Garonne) who is changing careers and is now planting an agroforestry system on her 1.4 hectare plot. She plans to grow fruit for the local market and wicker for handicrafts for the department’s basket-makers, as well as creating a welcoming space with a variety of atmospheric qualities for a broad public as part of an inclusive approach. In this way, she is weaving a bridge between her social fibre and her new passion for agriculture that respects the living world.
After Sabrina and the Envol Vert teams had given the group a few minutes to brush up on their knowledge of trees, the whole group set off for Sabrina’s plot, located on the banks of the river and partly in a flood zone – slush in the forecast!
Romain and the children set off
After carefully observing the planting demonstration, the pupils set about planting the hedgerow that will separate the plot from the road, the wind and some nearby conventionally farmed fields (Sabrina is in the process of obtaining the organic farming label). With the help of teachers, social workers and volunteers from Envol Vert, the children planted nearly 60 trees in an hour!
After a packed lunch to recharge the batteries, it was off again to Sabrina’s field. One group mulches the planted trees with shredded wood, and we put protective sheaths on them. For the other group, it’s a writing workshop! Each pupil wrote a message of encouragement or a wish for the trees they had just planted. The (biodegradable) papers are placed at the foot of the trees. “I wish my tree could talk”, “I hope to see you again soon, my brother”, the sensitivity to living things is built up from an early age.
Child’s drawing
The day ended in good spirits, and the sun was still shining. The pupils will be back soon to see their trees after a season of growth!
The day was organised as part of the Au Pré de Mes Arbres project in partnership with the Des Enfants et des Arbres association, which supported Sabrina Serres in her agroforestry project.
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