Our Director of Agriculture Blai Llort was one of the first to mechanise the harvesting of almond trees in Catalonia in the 1990s. Blai went on to manage the plantations of the Borges Group (BME: BAIN), Spain’s leading producer and seller of nuts. After a few years in the United States, he helped build the department of one of the world’s largest buyers of nuts. His global vision, from upstream to downstream, is invaluable and enables GreenPods to conduct its operations by considering both agronomic needs and market demands.
He is supported by our Operations Director Josep Magrinya, who previously managed the plantations of the Ecolumber group (BME: ECO).
Sergio Vera is Ecolumber’s former crop manager for the Lleida area. He has more than 40 years’ experience in tree crops and is taking over responsibility for our first Hispanic orchard.
The team running the field operations is 100% local, with over 60 years’ experience in perennial crops on the Iberian Peninsula.
La Esperanza offers ideal conditions for planting an orchard where two historic Mediterranean species coexist: the almond and the olive. Planting the Catalan variety Arbequina will produce an organic oil whose finesse and balance are renowned the world over, while the organic almond trees will benefit from an ideal climate, mild enough to avoid the late frosts of the northern Ebro basin.
GreenPods is committed to revitalizing the rural world through its deployment beyond the Pyrenees, while defending a global and European approach to food sovereignty. The production of olive oil and almonds on our territory should make a tangible contribution to European food resilience.
To regenerate ecosystems, we are using the latest technology available (topographical surveys by drones, fertirrigation, weather stations, etc.) and implementing tried and tested good farming practices.
The cultivation of organic orchards without chemical inputs, the decomposition of grass between the rows and of tree pruning residues, all these elements are conducive to the preservation of biodiversity and the return of auxiliaries and pollinators to the orchard.
The aim is to become the first Spanish farm to hold dual organic/regenagri certification.
For over a year, we analysed several production areas that could have met our specifications. In the end, we identified Aragon and the Ebro Valley as an area with very high potential. There are many reasons for this:
– Ideal soil and weather conditions for our target organic crops
– A dry climate with a dominant north-westerly wind, the Cierzo
– Abundant, well-managed water resources
– Proximity and geographical coherence with La Granja
– Availability of equipment suppliers, service providers and processing plants
– Availability of financial and legal services (Barcelona is close by)
105Ha of land being converted to organic and regenerative agriculture
// Plant-based diets reduce pressure on land, freeing up cropland, circa 50% of which is dedicated to animal feed today in Europe
// Plant-based diets contribute to lowering CO2 emissions
// Trees sequester carbon and prevent erosion
// La Granja captures CO2, contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation
// It is one of the first in France to benefit from the “Label Bas Carbone”.
// The 4,500+ credits generated represent an ancillary source of revenue which de-risks the project, demonstrating the additionality of carbon revenues during the conversion to organic
// Protect and enhance biodiversity in and around farms
// Improve or preserve carbon and water retention in the soil
//Enhance the resilience of crops and nature by reducing the use of pesticides and fertilisers
// Support the livelihoods of farming communities
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CREDITS
GreenPods, all rights reserved
Tree crops provide triple bottom-line returns
// Employment generation: X2 versus annual crops
// Ecosystem services: CO2 capture, biodiversity restoration, reduced emissions from freight transportation
// Generate sustainable income in rural areas
Interview / video podcast
daphni
Episode 25 – Martin d’Archimbaud (GreenPods)
Regenerative agriculture by GreenPods
February 20, 2023
Build a City. For. Good. by daphni
Duration: 1:00:21
We define ourselves as two climate entrepreneurs, concerned with preserving the ecosystem in which we work. Our profession as farmers fascinates us, and commits us to producing quality fruit, which meets both consumer expectations and the climate challenges of tomorrow.
With more than 25 years of cumulative experience in agriculture and the financing of innovative agricultural projects, we are today committed to setting up resilient and sustainable farms, which bring together the best practices observed in the field and the most proven technological innovations.
Also, planting trees and setting up regenerative agriculture routes seems to us to be one of the best solutions for capturing CO2, structuring soils and encouraging the development of fauna and flora in the long term. term.
Moreover, producing quality nuts fully meets the mission we have given ourselves: to offer high-performance alternatives to animal proteins. Nuts are particularly sought after for the health benefits they provide (protein, calcium or magnesium content) and some are even considered superfoods.
Conservation areas and cover crops in our orchards contribute to the restoration of biodiversity and soil organic matter,
helping water retention and therefore climate change adaptation.
Again, only a holistic vision can lead to total ecosystem restoration and to making production resilient in the long term.
The planting of over 28,000 almond trees and our regenerative practices allow us to both increase the carbon content of the soil and capture CO2 in the wood mass of our trees.
Carbon sales allow us to finance the development of our orchard while the almond trees are not yet productive.
To optimize the growth of our trees and ensure the regeneration of our ecosystem, we work with numerous technologies (weather stations, capacitive probes, drone imagery, automated irrigation valves, etc.). Tech helps us achieve operational and environmental excellence.
We are also supported by leading experts in their field, who provide ongoing training to our teams.
The farm is a good example of soil restoration and positive agricultural land use change. We are moving from the export of conventional corn production for cattle feed to the relocation of vegetable protein production in Europe for local consumption. The conversion of this land to the production of nuts sold locally should make a tangible contribution to regional food security.
The plot of land is broken down as follows:
// 64Ha of orchards
// 85Ha of diversified crop rotations
La Granja has received both organic and Regenagri certifications. It is the first farm in France to have received the regeneagri label from Control Union.
Only a holistic vision can lead to ecosystem restoration and to making production resilient in the long term.
