3 Questions to Nathalie Orvoën, President and Founder of Les Potageurs
TF - What issues does Les Potageurs address?
NO - The main value of Les Potageurs is common sense. Producing what we consume as close as possible to where we live. To show common sense is also to show hindsight. While thinking we are doing good, we can do bad. Producing food in an urban area requires some sanitary safeguards, especially in relation to the specific pollution that prevails there. We know that vegetation has many virtues for urban life. But urban life can be a source of constraints for the production, especially the proven pollution of exhaust gases. We wanted to know more about PAHs, pollutants that are very present in cities and harmful to health. No study had yet been done on the subject in the world. We wanted to know how vegetables and plants reacted to their presence. The impact of these pollutants and their presence in vegetables and fruits grown in the city.
TF - How does Les Potageurs concretely address these issues?
NO - We worked with the Institute of Chemistry at the University of Nice Côte d'Azur. To do this, we benefited from an IDEX fund in order to develop our hypothesis. Four vegetable gardens were created in the Alpes-Maritimes. Two in the city, in the heart of Nice in the Arson district. We benefited from the help of AtmoSud, partner of the project. They put the roof of one of their measuring station at our disposal, equipped for PAH. We set up two twin vegetable gardens which included a large plant palette in order to have a significant sample. The same two gardens were set up in Coursegoules in the hinterland which has interesting characteristics from an air quality perspective.
TF - What would be the ideal scenario for the development and diffusion of Les Potageurs?
NO - We would like to be able to continue the research to eventually establish a method of urban cultivation that takes into account the necessary characteristics for market gardening while integrating the specific problems of the city. We could then disseminate it to all cities.
Those 3 questions were written following the Transition Forum Call for Expressions of Interest. Les Potageurs’ study is part of the top 20 selected projects.
