Fruits at Monville Farm

Focus on Marie, a Farmer in Stoumont

The day we met Marie Monville on her land, we asked her THE question we pose to every farmer who contacts us regarding biodiversity enhancement projects on their plots.

“Tell me, Marie, what is your dream project for your plots?”

And the answer was long, very long because Marie is overflowing with good ideas… Between hedge planting, tree rows, and an orchard, we didn’t know where to begin… And that’s a good thing! We therefore decided to support her over several years to bring all her projects to fruition.

A few years ago, Marie Monville took over the family farm, which was previously managed by her father. Wishing to boost tourism in the surrounding area, she developed a country golf course with a rustic feel on her plots. In parallel, she raises sheep and is starting fruit production to produce delicious apple juice directly available at the farm.

A Farmer Committed to the Environment

Despite the heavily wooded environment surrounding the farm, Marie found that her agricultural plots were clearly not adapted to host the local biodiversity. She therefore decided to take matters into her own hands and define different areas that would be used for planting projects for the benefit of flora and fauna.

And when we compile all the biodiversity enhancements on Monville Farm, the result is as follows:

• 2,165 meters of hedges, including 500 meters planted in 2023-2024,
• 42 alignment trees planted in 2024,
• 1 farm pond
• 48 high-stem orchard trees that we will plant in 2025-2026 thanks to you!

An orchard for biodiversity, really?

The orchard is an ideal solution for improving biodiversity on a site and represents a straightforward agroforestry project to implement in Belgium. On the one hand, high-stem trees offer food and shelter to numerous species, while also enabling, for example, bats to echolocate. They thus create a perfect ecological network with hedges by connecting different areas within the farm.

The combination of sheep farming and fruit production offers numerous advantages: trees provide essential shade for sheep during intense summer heat, reduce soil erosion, and locally temper the climate. For their part, the sheep enrich the soil with their droppings and trample vole tunnels, notorious enemies of orchards.

A Diversified Orchard

 

We plan to plant a diversified orchard on Marie’s plot, focusing on apple production. Indeed, at these altitudes, ensuring the successful growth of an orchard remains a challenge (although this may evolve with climate change). However, apple trees generally comprise hardier varieties that are more resistant to various diseases.