Le Paysan Urbain, a farm in the heart of Paris offering 100% natural team building.

Improving cohesion within a company through conservation is a challenge set by Urban Farmer, a network of agroecological urban farms. In the middle of the buildings of the 20th arrondissement, a few steps from the Gambetta metro station, a 6,700 m2 agricultural plot offers employees an atypical space to strengthen their connections and sharpen their sensitivity to environmental issues.

There is no typical day at Urban Peasant. “Our specialization is team building individually,” explains Mateo Sachet, responsible for joint company activities. We offer events to raise awareness of current and future environmental issues. But we also use the farm play area for hands-on workshops. » A biodiversity quiz, a blind tasting or even a gardening class: there are many ways to understand living things.

“I learned a lot about nature and also about my colleagues.”

These outdoor activities have attracted Raphael Chalicarne, developer of Omie, for three years now. Along with about thirty colleagues, he took part in a half-day rally at Urban Farmer. “We started with a blindfolded tour of the farm, then learned how to take cuttings and ended with a quiz about different plants. I learned a lot about nature and also about my colleagues. »

At his Paris-based company, a quarter of its employees work remotely throughout France. This activity, organized to coincide with the start of the school year, gave them the opportunity to meet and discuss with their hands on the ground. “This allowed us to share moments together without being on screens,” rejoices Raphaël Chalicarne. We met around cuttings. »

Like Omi, many companies choose to return from vacation to organize these types of days. Others prefer to wait until the end of the year to do team building, as evidenced by the City Peasant Calendar. In June, the farm will host four companies or associations per week. Numerous seminars are also organized throughout the year in the “Environmental Pavilion”, a space suitable for groups of 10 to 30 people.

A farm with an educational and social vocation

The initiative, launched three years ago, responds to growing demand from companies to leave the office for a day or half a day. For Mateo Sachet, who oversees this effort at Urban Farmer, the positive impact is undeniable. “A team building ensures better team cohesion, improves staff turnover and the quality of life of people within the company. Doing this on an urban farm is all the more beneficial because gardening is a peaceful moment that promotes sharing. »

By completing an internship at the Urban Farmer, the company also participates in financial support for the site and its other activities. Transformed during the 2020 lockdown, this old wasteland actually specializes in growing microgreens. The first leaves after seed germination, these shoots of mustard, radish or fennel are widely used in French gastronomy.

In addition, the farm regularly hosts students from nurseries and primary schools in the area to help them become more familiar with the flora and fauna. They travel there three times a year to participate in events related to sustainable development and agricultural studies. Sessions team buildingwhose base price is set at 90 euros per person for half a day, allows you to finance these moments reserved for children.

Urban Farmer has more than 30 employees, of which about twenty are on the path of professional integration. The goal is to offer skills training to these people with disabilities, the long-term unemployed or those with refugee status. Hired by the state to create decent jobs, the association bases its economic model essentially on government subsidies and the revenue generated from the sale of its products. But the long-term goal is to ensure that every branch of the farm can finance itself.