L’Atelier Paysan

Essai du prototype néo-Buscher pour la traction animale en maraîchage.

Essai d'un outil pour la traction animale, inspiré d'une technologie utilisée par les communautés Amish de Pennsylvanie (USA). Le fermier Ed Hammer sur sa ferme en avril 2015, Chagford (UK).

Roloflex pour coucher un engrais vert. Maraîchage sous couvert.

L’Atelier Paysan is a French-speaking collective of small-scale farmers, employees and agricultural development organisations who design open source farm tools. Based on the principle that farmers are themselves innovators, they have been collaboratively developing methods and practices to reclaim farming skills and achieve self-sufficiency in relation to the tools and machinery used in organic farming. They have an English language website, which includes about a dozen tool descriptions with technical drawings. All tools can be appropriated and modified by farmers (Self-Built Machinery).

From the website

We are a French-speaking collective of small-scale farmers, employees and agricultural development organisations, gathered together as a cooperative named l’Atelier Paysan. Based on the principle that farmers are themselves innovators, we have been collaboratively developing methods and practices to reclaim farming skills and achieve self-sufficiency in relation to the tools and machinery used in organic farming. In 2011, we set ourselves up as a staffed organisation working to promote farm-based inventions, collectively develop new technological solutions adapted to small-scale farming, and make these skills and ideas widely available through courses and educational materials. Since 2015, we have also been offering resources and guidance to farmer-driven projects involving the building or renovation of agricultural buildings.

We are based in the Rhône-Alpes region of south east France and also have a branch in Brittany. We have three trucks equipped with the machinery and materials we need to run practical training courses on farms and workshops across France. We provide advice and guidance for small-scale farmers on agricultural tools tailored to their needs, and accompany them through their trials and tribulations in their farming journey, individually or collectively, whatever their area of production. The development of tools and self-built machinery adapted to small-scale farming is a technological, economic and cultural instrument which has been little explored within agricultural development in France, although it can provide a significant impact on the growth of organic farming and contribute to improving organic farming practices.

A tool box of farmer-driven technologies and practices

Supporting farmer-led research and development

1. On-farm innovations

2. Collective farmer-led designs

3. Engineering expertise to design replicable machinery

Disseminating open source materials for organic farming

1. Promoting technologies that are wanted by farmers

2. Information tailored to the needs of small-scale farmers: forum posts, articles, designs, tutorials and our Self-build guide

Leading training sessions to create self-sufficient farming systems

1. Our training courses

2. Workshops on farms

3. Bulk orders

Adapting tools to the context in which they are used

1. The tools we develop are not finished products

2. Promoting critical and responsible use of farm machinery

3. Gaining confidence and autonomy, adapting and sharing technologies

Project Example: "The Aggrozouk"

The Aggrozouk, previously known as the Bicitractor, is a light pedal-powered tool carrier. Light tools are hitched onto the underside of the frame through an electrically powered assistance system.

Project webpage - http://latelierpaysan.org/The-Aggrozouk

Links

• Article in No Tech Magazine "Adapted Tools for Organic Farming"
• Designs: "Technical drawings & tutorials"
• Flickr Photo Stream of L’Atelier Paysan
• Youtube Channel of L’Atelier Paysan