This is a first in a town so bordering on Toulouse (Haute-Garonne), very urbanized and well known for hosting the Airbus factories. All of the 135 hectares of the Plaine des Quinze sols, a vast fertile area with around ten market gardeners, has now been declared a protected agricultural area (ZAP) by a prefectural decree. The realization of a project carried out for fifteen years by the town hall of Blagnac (center-left).
“A good initiative, recognizes Quentin Fauvre, farmer in market gardening since 2019. This allows me to perpetuate my project, even in the event of a political change at the town hall”, he underlines.
Land made available free of charge for five years
“When we could pre-empt a house, we had done so for several years because it was important to preserve these fertile lands and to buy plots little by little, explains Pascal Boureau, deputy mayor of Blagnac. This space became a squatted area, of wild dumping and real estate speculation. The creation of a ZAP makes it possible to sanctuarize this zone to install organic market gardening farmers there. »
“We are going to carry out land consolidation operations to create less fragmented plots and unify the agricultural area,” promises Pascal Boureau. To simplify the installation of young farmers, the town hall uses the Commodat system, which makes the land available free of charge for five years and then a lease at moderate rent if the project is positive. This is how Quentin Fauvre has access to 2.5 hectares to grow his organic vegetables. “It was a good boost to get me started and the ZAP will avoid concreting,” he says. The City is aiming for the installation of 20 to 30 farmers in fifteen years.