Jérôme D.

"I have a small garden of 500 m² cultivated in open fields, on a 3300 m² plot of permanent natural grassland at an altitude of 400 m, in Magnoac, a small hillside region in the north of the Hautes-Pyrénées. I farm organically, on a very small scale, and work mainly by hand, without a tractor, using practices from different types of agriculture adapted to AB specifications.

At the same time, I work as an agricultural workshop teacher for secondary school pupils with learning difficulties, with the aim of guiding them towards a career in agriculture.

With a BPREA diploma in organic market gardening, I worked as an organic market gardener on 2 hectares for around 10 years. In 2015, I did my first year of seed reproduction and the experience was positive. So, for 2022, I wanted to renew seed multiplication on a small area for Kokopelli, in addition to my teaching activity.

As a former market gardener, what I like about seed reproduction is being able to experience the complete cycle of my plants, accompanying them from seed to seed, sharing the life of a plant and all its stages.

My favorite variety in 2022 was the Blue Berries cherry tomato, for its extreme productivity, hardiness and magnificent clusters of juicy, tasty fruit.

I'm delighted to be joining the team of growers, and hope to do my best to produce quality seeds. The association embodies the values of freedom and sharing in the agricultural world, which speak to me and seem very important in today's farming context. Being close to plants and the earth is the main reason why I'm returning to farming. Thanks to the advice of a close friend, Grégory G., a producer with Kokopelli, I'm putting my foot back into the farming world with joy and enthusiasm by creating a small garden where everything will be done with pleasure and with a single objective in mind: to reproduce quality seeds for Kokopelli."