01/1970
Pic’assiette started in October 2010 as a citizen initiative aiming to form a buying group. The association was born out of the awareness of the social, environmental and economic impacts of lifestyles. It is committed to environmental education and sustainable development and in particular to public-spirited food. To this end, it initiates and promotes the development of responsible and fair food practices by drawing on local, regional, national and international initiatives. These activities take place in priority in the Northern part of Montpellier, at Grand Pic Saint Loup, and involve a network of about 20 producers from the area.
Contact details
E-mail : contact@picassiette.org
Facebook : https://fr-fr.facebook.com/assiettepic/
Site web : https://picassiette.org
34380, Saint Martin de Londres, France
Stakeholders
∙ About 60 subscribing members
∙ Private actors: L’Ilot Paysan, Gaec Les jardins de la Buèges
∙ Associations: Nature & Progrès, Collectif des Garrigues, CIVAM Hérault, CIVAM Vidourle
∙ Publicpartners:GrandPicSaintLoupCommu- nity of communes, Hérault Department, DRAAF Occitanie
∙ Private sponsors: Carasso Foundation
Objectives
∙ Finding solutions to the issues of water use and agricultural irrigation
∙ Bringing agricultural and food production clo- ser to consumption centres through agricultural sourcing, changing eating habits and organising short marketing channels
∙ Having a control on the origin of seeds and seedlings
Legal framework & Budget
Pic’Assiette is a non-profit association under the French law of 1901. It has around 60 subscribing members, 2 salaried workers and 5 volunteers. Pic’Assiette is member of the network Coopere 34 and of the collective Tout Un Plat.Activities
Pic’Assiette implements various activities: awareness-raising workshops on responsible and fair food for children, schoolchildren and the general public; animation of producers’ groups; organisation of at-the- farm meetings between consumers and local farmers (“Rencontres papilles et saveurs”); support in the implementation of projects of individual or collective change in food consumption habits; supply of appetizers’ baskets and food plates made from local and seasonal products at a low price; participation in events, studies and reflection groups on environment protection and local food systems, etc.>Innovation & Outcomes
Pic’Assiette stands out for its strong local roots. All its activities and structuring revolve around organising the production, distribution and consumption of local food. They are based on the strong relational network established between consumers, the association’s staff and local farmers. Within the “Anti-Gaspi” project, Pic’assiette joined forces with the solidarity-based restaurant Table de Sesame and the socio-cultural centre Agantic to offer € 3.5 menus made of food leftovers from catering to the clients of Table de Sesame.2
Main obstacles & Next steps
The main obstacle to this initiative is the price of land, which makes local agriculture at risk. Besides, there is a great number of small-scale initiatives promoting local food and environment protection but they stay isolated from one another. So, there is a need to unify/gather these initiatives. The Montpellier Metropolitan Area could endorse this convening role.More on :
https://picassiette.org
