Last updated: October 2021
Citizen Farm was a start-up founded by Pierre Osswald (Ref. 3). The project began with an experimental urban farm in a vegetable garden of Raymond 6. The ozarium farm (a vegetable aquarium) uses a technique called aquaponia (Ref. 5). This technique grows all kinds of plants and vegetables indoors in an entirely natural way. Fertilizer or watering are not needed. Plants feed on the nutrients in the aquarium: water and fish discharges. In return, they purify and oxygenate fish water. It is an ecological and educational innovation which is surfacing as an "eco-responsible" trend. (Ref. 1, 2). The Citizen farm initative was ended in 2018 due to financial difficulties (Ref. 35).
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Community gardens and allotments
- Other
Key challenges
- Environmental quality
- Waste management
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Economic development: agriculture
- Employment/job creation
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable consumption
- Sustainable production
Focus
Other
Project objectives
The goal of the farm was to innovate the production of what is equivalent to the energy and consumption needs of four people for one year in its publicly distributed form (Ref. 3, 6). The goal of the system is also to be 100% self-sufficient (Ref. 6). The ozarium's reduction of water usage also has the potential to advantage cities or countries in situations of water stress (Ref. 5).
Implementation activities
Pierre Osswald launched the Citizen Farm project in 2013 (Ref. 13). One year of work was necessary to develop the first test of this unique product in France, (Ref. 9) which is based on the combination of a greenhouse and an aquarium, all housed on and in a container. The farm is the size of a parking space (13m2 and 15m2) (Ref. 5, 6, 11). The challenge of the project was to find the right balance between the number of fish, the type of plants and the amount produced to feed four people. The product was sold on the internet (Ref. 10). Osswald targeted businesses, communities, real estate developers and states with several business models in North America and Europe (Ref. 5, 6). Citizen Farm hosted visiting schoolchildren year round while dishes are prepared by chefs twice a week, (Ref. 3, 11) while surplus production will be given to associations (Ref. 8). It also organised practical workshops on insect hotel creations or seed dispensers etc. (Ref. 12). By mid-2016 the start-up had 4 employees (Ref. 6). Upon filing for bankruptcy in 2018, CitizenFarm employed 10 people and “…had succeeded in attracting 6,000 private customers and had installed seven aquaponics farms throughout France” (Ref. 35).
Main beneficiaries
- Private sector/Corporate/Company
- Citizens or community groups
- Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Social enterprise
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Crowd-sourcing/Crowd-funding/Participatory bdget
- Dissemination of information and education
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Co-management/Joint management
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
Toulouse Metropolis provided Osswald the necessary free space at the vegetable garden at Raymond 6; it also provides access to the garden for others with the intention of raising fish, growing vegetables and, above all, sensitizing the general public (Ref. 3). The start-up has also formed a partnership with Action Logement with the intention of mobilising the public around the project after its intervention at the Roofs Solid'Air Salvation Army foyer in Reims (Ref. 16, 33). From 2015 the start-up also joined the At Home community of start-up entrepreneurs at the Place de la Bourse in Toulouse as a way of attracting companies and investors with shared events and services (Ref. 25).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The Citizen Farm project is supported by Toulouse Metropole in the framework of the Smart City experiments. Through the Smart City Toulouse project, the city aspires to become a more fluid, friendly, innovative, dynamic, attractive, responsible and sustainable metropolis (Ref. 15, 27, 34).)
Financing
Total cost
€10,000 - €50,000
Source(s) of funding
- Other
Type of funding
- Direct funding or subsidy
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Environmental quality
- Improved waste management
Economic impacts
- Increase of jobs
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Type of reported impacts
Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
(1) Toulouse Business School. [no date]. CitizenFarm, un aquarium qui fait pousser des plantes ! Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
(2) Paimeblanc, Luci. (2016). Ça pousse dans la ferme urbaine aquaponique de Toulouse. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(3) Laignez, Julien, (2016). Toulouse : des déjections des poissons pour cultiver des légumes. Available at:
Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(4) Citizen Farm. [no date]. Les produits les plus frais, avec du goût poussent naturellement au coin de la rue ! Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
(5) de Varax, Aurélie. (2016). Citizen Farm installe la première ferme urbaine française en aquaponie, à Toulouse. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(6) Agnès Espa, Marie. (2016). Toulouse : la Smart City teste une ferme urbaine en aquaponie ! Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(7) Beatrice, Colin. (2016). Toulouse: La ferme urbaine où comment faire pousser des légumes dans un conteneur. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(8) Russeil, Delphine. (2016). [En images] Une ferme urbaine installée dans le jardin Raymond VI, près des Abattoirs à Toulouse. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(9) Boffet, Laurence. (2016). Toulouse : une ferme urbaine utilise des poissons pour faire pousser des légumes. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(10) Le Scouarnec, Jean Marc. (2016). Découvrez l'aquaculture au jardin Raymond-VI. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(11) Decorse, Johanna. (2016). Citizen Farm prend racine au jardin Raymond VI. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(12) Russeil, Delphine. (2017). Au cœur de Toulouse, visitez une ferme urbaine où des plantes poussent grâce à des poissons. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(13) Mr Mondialisation. (2016). Il veut populariser les fermes urbaines en alliant poissons et plantes. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(14) madein31. [no date]. Citizen Farm. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(15) Toulouse Metropole. [no date]. CITIZEN FARM : UNE FERME DANS LA VILLE ! Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
(16) Leleu, Clémence. (2017). Citizen Farm : quand les poissons font pousser des légumes au coeur des villes. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(17) Bourguignon, Anne Marie. (2016). Citizen Farm. Petit poisson deviendra grand avec son aquarium-potager. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(18) ToulouseInfo. (2016). Une ferme urbaine au Jardin Raymond VI. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(19) Leclercq, Axel. (2016). CITIZEN FARM : 800KG DE LÉGUMES ET 400 POISSONS PAR AN... SUR 15M2 ! Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
(20) Clarke, Baptiste. (2016). L'aquaponie facilite l'implantation de fermes urbaines. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(21) noova. [no date]. Citizen Farm. Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
(22) Fred. (2016). CITIZEN FARM : UNE FERME AQUAPONIQUE SUR 15 M2 CAPABLE DE PRODUIRE 800 KG DE LÉGUMES ET 400 POISSONS PAR AN. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(23) diccit. (2017). Avec Citizen Farm, poisson est sous le potager. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(24) Rimbert, Julie. (2016). La truite et de la tomate mariées dans une ferme urbaine. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(25) Angel, Marina. (2016). At Home s'offre 1 000 m2 à Toulouse pour développer sa communauté de start-up. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(26) Domez, Hugues-Olivier. (2016). Bientôt un festival « Made in 31 » pour mettre en avant des entreprises innovantes au Quai des savoirs. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(27) BNP PARIBUS. (2017). Smart City Toulouse : l'Open Métropole. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(28) MANOIBEMA. (2015). So Blogueuses 2015 à Toulouse : c’était aussi de belles rencontres ! (part 2). Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(29) Thuault Ney, Sarah. (2017). L’aquaponie : cultiver ses légumes avec des excréments de poissons. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(30) Toulouse Business School. (2016). BACH 13 - PIERRE OSSWALD. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(31) Demeure, Yohan. (2016). Cette ferme aquaponique de la taille d’une place de parking peut produire des centaines de kg de nourriture. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(32) Fonbeauzard. [no date]. Ferme Urbaine... Quand les légumes poussent sur le béton! Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
(33) Maison de l'Agriculture Urbaine. [no date]. Citizen Farm : 800 Kg de légumes et 400 poissons par an sur… 15 m2! Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(34) Lapeierie, Caroline. (2017). Strategie Smart City 2015-2020. Toulouse Metropole. (Document attached).
(35). La Depeche (2018). "Toulouse. La start-up Citizen Farm dépose le bilan". Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(2) Paimeblanc, Luci. (2016). Ça pousse dans la ferme urbaine aquaponique de Toulouse. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(3) Laignez, Julien, (2016). Toulouse : des déjections des poissons pour cultiver des légumes. Available at:
Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(4) Citizen Farm. [no date]. Les produits les plus frais, avec du goût poussent naturellement au coin de la rue ! Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
(5) de Varax, Aurélie. (2016). Citizen Farm installe la première ferme urbaine française en aquaponie, à Toulouse. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(6) Agnès Espa, Marie. (2016). Toulouse : la Smart City teste une ferme urbaine en aquaponie ! Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(7) Beatrice, Colin. (2016). Toulouse: La ferme urbaine où comment faire pousser des légumes dans un conteneur. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(8) Russeil, Delphine. (2016). [En images] Une ferme urbaine installée dans le jardin Raymond VI, près des Abattoirs à Toulouse. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(9) Boffet, Laurence. (2016). Toulouse : une ferme urbaine utilise des poissons pour faire pousser des légumes. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(10) Le Scouarnec, Jean Marc. (2016). Découvrez l'aquaculture au jardin Raymond-VI. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(11) Decorse, Johanna. (2016). Citizen Farm prend racine au jardin Raymond VI. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(12) Russeil, Delphine. (2017). Au cœur de Toulouse, visitez une ferme urbaine où des plantes poussent grâce à des poissons. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(13) Mr Mondialisation. (2016). Il veut populariser les fermes urbaines en alliant poissons et plantes. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(14) madein31. [no date]. Citizen Farm. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(15) Toulouse Metropole. [no date]. CITIZEN FARM : UNE FERME DANS LA VILLE ! Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
(16) Leleu, Clémence. (2017). Citizen Farm : quand les poissons font pousser des légumes au coeur des villes. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(17) Bourguignon, Anne Marie. (2016). Citizen Farm. Petit poisson deviendra grand avec son aquarium-potager. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(18) ToulouseInfo. (2016). Une ferme urbaine au Jardin Raymond VI. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(19) Leclercq, Axel. (2016). CITIZEN FARM : 800KG DE LÉGUMES ET 400 POISSONS PAR AN... SUR 15M2 ! Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
(20) Clarke, Baptiste. (2016). L'aquaponie facilite l'implantation de fermes urbaines. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(21) noova. [no date]. Citizen Farm. Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
(22) Fred. (2016). CITIZEN FARM : UNE FERME AQUAPONIQUE SUR 15 M2 CAPABLE DE PRODUIRE 800 KG DE LÉGUMES ET 400 POISSONS PAR AN. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(23) diccit. (2017). Avec Citizen Farm, poisson est sous le potager. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(24) Rimbert, Julie. (2016). La truite et de la tomate mariées dans une ferme urbaine. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(25) Angel, Marina. (2016). At Home s'offre 1 000 m2 à Toulouse pour développer sa communauté de start-up. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(26) Domez, Hugues-Olivier. (2016). Bientôt un festival « Made in 31 » pour mettre en avant des entreprises innovantes au Quai des savoirs. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(27) BNP PARIBUS. (2017). Smart City Toulouse : l'Open Métropole. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(28) MANOIBEMA. (2015). So Blogueuses 2015 à Toulouse : c’était aussi de belles rencontres ! (part 2). Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(29) Thuault Ney, Sarah. (2017). L’aquaponie : cultiver ses légumes avec des excréments de poissons. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(30) Toulouse Business School. (2016). BACH 13 - PIERRE OSSWALD. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(31) Demeure, Yohan. (2016). Cette ferme aquaponique de la taille d’une place de parking peut produire des centaines de kg de nourriture. Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(32) Fonbeauzard. [no date]. Ferme Urbaine... Quand les légumes poussent sur le béton! Available at: Source link (Website not available in 2020).
(33) Maison de l'Agriculture Urbaine. [no date]. Citizen Farm : 800 Kg de légumes et 400 poissons par an sur… 15 m2! Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).
(34) Lapeierie, Caroline. (2017). Strategie Smart City 2015-2020. Toulouse Metropole. (Document attached).
(35). La Depeche (2018). "Toulouse. La start-up Citizen Farm dépose le bilan". Available at: Source link (Accessed: October 15, 2020).