Les Paysans de Rougeline, a union of cooperatives in the South of France, have made a commitment to offer consumers quality fruit and vegetables from sustainable agriculture. They have grown over 50 varieties of fruit for 25 years over an 800 ha area, both in field and greenhouse crops, representing almost 75,000 tons of horticultural production. Les Paysans de Rougeline are focusing on local agriculture with innovating developments, such as the two eco-friendly greenhouses that the group have invested in in Lapouyade and Parentis-en-Born.
These eco-friendly greenhouses allow greenhouse farming to really become sustainable. The energy used to heat the greenhouses comes from excess energy from industrial processes. In Parentis-en-Born, the 10 ha of cherry tomatoes rely on a network of hot water from oil rigs belonging to the company Vermilion. In Lapouyade, Veolia Propreté produce non dangerous biogas waste from natural fermentation processes on their storage site, which is converted to electricity, providing enough for half the population of the Libournais area. An agreement between Veolia and Les Paysans de Rougeline allows Les Paysans de Rougeline to use a share of the energy and redirect it to their 8 ha of eco-greenhouses.
This method not only allows them to reduce their energy consumption, but also creates a natural ecosystem, allowing them to decrease pesticide usage by 95%. Farmers are also trying to decrease water and fertiliser usage in these eco-friendly greenhouses.