Raising awareness about biodiversity by creating an urban permaculture farm, setting up a community-supported grocery store, and establishing a farm-to-table cooperative

ELLSA, a nonprofit organization under the French Law of 1901, was founded in 2008 and has been active in the town of Achères since 2010.

The association’s mission is to:

To foster connections between people and their environment through sustainable food practices.

Our methods of action

Food assistance: To provide participatory food assistance through the solidarity grocery store.  The ELLSA solidarity grocery store is a participatory food assistance program whose stock is replenished in partnership with the Leclerc store in Achères, as well as through two major annual food drives.  This form of food assistance, which is both participatory and provides basic necessities, is intended for low-income families

Social bonds: Building solidarity between local producers and consumers through the AMAP. We have been working since April 2023 with Les Jardins de Cocagne, based in Conflans Sainte Honorine.  They provide weekly delivery of organic vegetables in baskets, available in two different sizes (full basket for €16 and half basket for €8). The contents of the basket vary each week depending on the harvest and the seasons.

Sustainable food: Raising awareness of biodiversity by transforming a vacant lot into an urban farm.

Conceived in 2017, the Integraterre circular economy project aims to create a permaculture urban farm with the help of the citizens of Achères on a former industrial wasteland  (a 7-hectare plot in the Plantes d’Hennemont neighborhood, made available by the city of Achères).

4 tasks:

• Collection and composting of food waste
• Agroforestry / Floriculture
• Market gardening
• Awareness-raising and community engagement