AGROECOLOGY

We prioritize fertile soils. Instead of plowing them intensely and intervening with chemical inputs that destroy the living organisms, we preserve life by giving priority to crop rotations. This favors the formation of healthy, black top soil and allows earthworms, insects and fungi to create more air in the soil.

Diversity is key! Increasing the biodiversity of soils, plant varieties and animal breeds, but also of seeds, landscapes, and the ecosystems.

These diverse natural systems ensure the supply of nutrients and increases resiliency against disease and pests. Our silvo-pasture is a perfect illustration of this.

Long live covered soils! A permanent vegetation cover has 4 advantages: protecting the soil against erosion, increasing organic matter, promoting biodiversity, and capturing more CO2. The goal? To avoid exhausting the soil and allow time for regeneration.

For example, at Domaine de Graux, we seed clover or a mixture of several cereals or we simply grow strips of grass and hedges.

Interconnections above all! Reintroducing a virtuous circle into agriculture requires a balance between trees, meadows, crops and animals…

By integrating Black Angus cows, Marans hens, Mangalica pigs, donkeys, and bees at Domaine de Graux, we create symbiotic relationships that benefit all forms of life on the farm. Rotational grazing, for example, promotes the health of our meadows and their soils.

The best way to save energyis not to use it! We implement water management and energy saving practices to preserve our natural resources and maximize their efficient use.

A few concrete examples?
– Creation of 12 ponds at the Domaine to enhance biodiversity
– Prioritisation of crops that require little water
– Implementarion of biodiversity lanes every 60 meters
– Construction of wood-fired heating system
Selection of animal species that do not be require heated shelter in winter. They only eat what is produced at the Domaine. Circularity is key!