00:05But this morning, his job requires special protection in preparation for the work in the fungi room.
00:12Mushroom spores can be harmful for the lungs.
00:15The 35-year-old has been the Cité Maréchère's chief gardener since 2022.
00:23These are organic straw blocks with sawdust that are inoculated.
00:31Once they're received, we open them so that mushrooms can grow on them.
00:36Zahi and his small team harvest two and a half tonnes of mushrooms each year.
00:42That's enough to supply 40 individuals, a dozen restaurants and a handful of organic farming cooperatives.
00:50I think this is a really good model.
00:53We have such a small room and can produce mushrooms for so many people.
00:57Two or three of such rooms could meet the needs of a town like Romainville with between 30,000 and 40,000 inhabitants.
01:05Upstairs, another two tonnes of vegetables and herbs are grown each year.
01:11The building is not heated, but its LED lights use about twice as much electricity as a normal family home.
01:18What's produced here is not enough to feed the Paris suburb of Romainville.
01:23But that's not the project's primary objective either.
01:26Run directly by the local authority with an annual budget of 500,000 euros,
01:31the Cité Maréchère is first and foremost a social undertaking,
01:35which organises 450 workshops for pupils and residents each year.
01:40We're a public institution. Our goal is to grow vegetables, but first of all to create a space where people from the neighbourhood can learn new things and meet.
01:53Out of our 27 jobs, 20 are reserved for people who are struggling to find work.
01:59For them, this is supposed to be a springboard towards a more stable job.
02:03Here for the workshop, the one on insects. Come on in.
02:08Wayiba Okulu is one of those people who had been struggling to find a job.
02:15Insects always have six legs.
02:20Today, the 61-year-old is showing a group of locals how to build shelters for insects.
02:29Which insects do you know?
02:32Grasshoppers, stink bugs, beetles.
02:39Insects are important pollinators and pest controllers, but many of their natural refuges have been destroyed.
02:46Putting a few twigs and branches together can create new shelters for them.
02:51For me and my son, it's a chance to learn a lot about insects here, how they live.
03:04Emeline Bréjean is also renting one of 35 small patches of land at this 1.7 hectare site run by the Cité Maréchère.
03:14For about 20 euros a year, she can grow her own produce on a small vegetable patch.
03:20Gardening helps take your mind off things. And as it's a shag garden, you can meet new people.
03:26It's educational and social activities make the Cité Maréchère indeed stand out from other urban farms, says this expert.
03:36That said, the project isn't perfect.
03:39The building shouldn't be reproduced as is elsewhere.
03:44It costs 9 million euros to construct. That's very expensive.
03:48And it has technical floors.
03:51There's not enough light on the first two floors to grow vegetables.
03:55Only the highest floors are really fit for purpose.
03:59That really limits the production space.
04:04The harvest does provide some vegetables for the restaurant on the Cité Maréchère's ground floor.
04:12Its owners say it's part of their philosophy to buy locally.
04:17We want to show that it's possible to cook with local and seasonal products.
04:23When you rely on a local food network, you cause less pollution.
04:28We're trying to do our part, just like a hummingbird does.
04:39A three-course meal costs 14 euros 50 here.
04:42The restaurant is another argument in favour of the Cité Maréchère,
04:47for these local pharmacists who've become regular customers.
04:51They do lots of workshops here.
04:54It's really good.
04:55It's for people of all ages.
04:57And you can do all sorts of things.
04:59My son has participated in some of the activities.
05:02And the prices for food are really fair.
05:04This place is really good news for the neighbourhood.
05:07Every Wednesday evening, the Cité Maréchère organises a small farmer's market.
05:14What people pay depends on their income, determined by their tax bracket.
05:19A quarter of Romainville's inhabitants live beneath the poverty line.
05:24This is from the local council.
05:30I can use this to work out your discount, which will be 75% on all our products.
05:37I'll register you in the system.
05:39Like many here, Son Li has a modest pension.
05:44The farmer's market has just become a lifeline for her, she says.
05:48Tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, celery and parsley.
05:554 euros 20, please.
05:57That's a lot less than Son Li would have paid for her full shopping bag elsewhere.
06:01It will help me make ends meet.
06:04My son and I are struggling.
06:06He's 24 and currently out of a job.
06:09A municipal agricultural project that is adding a little bit of social cohesion
06:15in a poverty-stricken neighbourhood.
06:17And which could lead the way for cities across the world.
06:20And which could lead the way for cities across the world.
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