Ferme du Bec Hellouin is undoubtedly the example of permaculture most often cited in France.
Located in Haute-Normandie, this farm was launched by Charles Hervé-Gruyer, writer and navigator, and his wife Perrine, international jurist. Without training or previous professional experience in the field of agriculture, the couple started in 2006, with a small farm of 1.2 hectares on poor soil. They will plant hundreds of different plants there. In 2012, the farm had 2,500 m2 of crops on mounds (in agroforestry), 650 m2 of greenhouses, a 1100 m2 garden forest, orchards, berry crops, pastures, shop, a bread oven. All products are marketed, among others, via a wholesaler, AMAP or through direct sales.
Attracting more and more visitors, the farm moved from 2007 to place of transmission of techniques and knowledge. The Bec Hellouin Permaculture School offers training in permaculture, gardening and market gardening.
In 2011, the Bec Hellouin Farm has embarked on a research program in partnership with INRA and AgroParisTech, on organic market and economic performance, which is the subject of scientific monitoring. The aim of the study is to test the economic and ecological performance of its market gardening system in permaculture on a small area (number of working hours per 1000 m2). The first results are encouraging and tend to improve over time.
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