La Ferme et la boutique du Viel Audon

The farm team is made up of five permanent staff members: Rémi, Hélène, Cyrile, Pia, and Jean. It also welcomes several seasonal workers and interns throughout the year.
You can meet them in their shops, in their gardens, at the milking station, or just down a side street. Don't hesitate to ask them for a chat; they'll be delighted to share their life and work experiences with you!

Since the first years of reconstruction of Viel Audon, its inhabitants have been committed to a cooperative and environmentally friendly approach.

The hamlet of Viel Audon is accessible only on foot and nestles on the slope between the cliff and the river. This geographical location structures daily life towards economical, autonomous, and responsible practices.
The reduction, sorting and reuse of waste is encouraged to limit flows, they even become resources (glass is crushed to be used in construction, organic waste provides food for pigs or enters the composting cycle, etc.)
In terms of energy, domestic hot water is produced using the sun, and recently installed photovoltaic panels cover 15% of annual electricity consumption. A spring, which flows year-round, provides water for livestock and irrigation of the gardens, as well as heating of the buildings in winter (heat pump system).
Many dry toilets are in operation to limit wastewater effluent, which is treated on site by a plant purification system.
Many materials and supplies are transported directly from the back. Sharing and mutual assistance are the foundations of the daily organization of activities.

Each visitor, whether passing through for the day or staying on site, is introduced to this set of practices through displays or by doing things together. Through concrete participation, we understand the full meaning of ecological practices as well as their evolution, because nothing is ever perfect, we must constantly demonstrate creativity to limit our environmental and social impact.

Furthermore, the land was in the process of being abandoned when the project's initiators embarked on the idea of ​​revitalizing the hamlet. But this land is an unsuspected wealth of riches! The meadows and undergrowth provide a rich, diverse, and abundant diet for our herd of goats. The dry stone terraces built hundreds of years ago and which have been rehabilitated allow us to grow our aromatic and spice plants. A vast olive grove has survived the ages. Fruit trees (fig trees, almond trees, etc.) can thrive there.
In addition, the Viel Audon farm works in Organic Agriculture and its team, whether in the shop, milking or in the garden, will always be there to share and answer questions.

All the daily activities (cooking, maintenance, showering, etc.) as well as the educational garden, nature (fauna and flora), or even the traces left by a historical heritage (constructions, silkworm breeding, charcoal kilns, etc.) are all supports used for educational purposes through animated walks, thematic weekends, discovery classes or permaculture training.

Finally, since the beginning of the adventure 50 years ago, we have spread and enriched ourselves by participating in numerous networks (notably in the social and solidarity economy, environmental education). This on many scales: from neighboring schools to national gatherings.