Intergenerational Papillae in Gâtinais

France

Introduction

Five farmers and five senior citizens’ shelters in the Gâtinais territory volunteered to participate in the project to create a link between local producers and seniors between 2021 and 2022. Through this project, the aim of the producer and his dual institution is to: – Make seniors (re)discover the farming profession and local agricultural specificities – Address the brakes and levers to integrate local products into the menus of medical-social institutions. Beyond these objectives, this partnership has created real social, intergenerational links between producers and seniors, thus promoting the better integration of seniors in their territory, and more broadly in society.

Presentation of the project

In the territory of the GAL du Gâtinais français, 14 EHPAD (Accommodation for dependent elderly people) are present. These institutions suffer from a poor image and very few projects have been carried out to promote the link between the elderly and the territory. In addition, there is a need to promote the profession of farmer, among young people because of a lack of attractiveness of the profession, and more broadly among the general public because of a lack of knowledge of agricultural practices. Since January 2022, the EGAlim law imposes 50% of sustainable or under sign of origin and quality products in public collective catering. In addition, the Libault report calls for the introduction of communication measures to promote the professions of autonomy, and to promote events and structures open to all, in order to better integrate older people into society. Thus, the objectives of the project were: – To stimulate partnership approaches between the actors of the French Gâtinais territory – To enable medical and social institutions to have a more local food supply – To enable local producers to enhance their productions in collective catering – To maintain the social link with our elders of the territory In total, 10 animations were organized with the 5 producer/EHPAD pairs: visits to farms, potato tastings, production of organic breads on the farm, creation of seedlings of aromatic plants, … thus reaching more than 100 seniors and more than 20 people of the catering and animation teams EHPAD. This project enabled the residents of the 5 accompanied EHPADs to have a better understanding of the link between food and good health, as well as a better knowledge of local agricultural specificities, while rebuilding social ties with their territory. For the medical and social institutions, the project enabled the implementation of an initial approach to comply with the EGalim law, through a better knowledge of the supply of local food products that can integrate their kitchens: two institutions continued the partnership with the producer partner after the end of the project. All the establishments also want to reproduce the activities on agriculture and food with the dual producer, because of the very positive feedback from seniors. The five volunteer producers were able to value their farms and their production while experimenting with the supply of medical and social facilities. Here, the LEADER program of the French Gâtinais LAG carried out by the French Gâtinais Regional Nature Park participated in the co-construction of the project, the networking of local farmers with the EHPAD and elected representatives of the territory, the sharing of expertise in short circuits and education for sustainable food. Without the LEADER program, this project would not have been possible. There are no other grants available to fund this type of project.

The emblematic character of the project

In the face of the challenges of increasing life expectancy, the growth of the elderly population and the acceleration of working life, preserving the social link with our elders is a social and public health issue that concerns us all. The GAL du Gâtinais français is a rural area prone to an aging population. So the issue of maintaining the social connection of our seniors in the territory is one of the issues present in our strategy. This project was carried out by the association “les insatiables”, part of the SOS Group and present in several regions of France. It is therefore possible to easily transfer this project to other regions where the association is present. In recent years, an increasing number of territorial food projects (PATs) have been set up and aim to relocate agriculture and food in the territories by supporting the installation of farmers, short circuits or local products in collective catering. The Intergenerational Papillae project is fully in line with the objectives of the TAPs and can be easily transferred to these structures. At the European level, the issue of the isolation of seniors, circuits courses and food are also high stakes, the project “Papilles intergeneratoires” can be replicated outside France.

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