A4:  Association for the Hosting of Agriculture and Crafts Activities

“Those who cross the sea know the land” (Aminata Koita)

The objective of the A4 Association is to build a dynamic of hosting, training, access to work and administrative support for people with or without papers, urban or rural, in the fields of Agriculture and Craftsmanship.
Our project aims to develop a network of training, exchanges, farm setting-up and peasant solidarity by linking territories and current initiatives.

The project was born from encounters of people wishing to learn, work and live in a dignified way in the fields of agriculture or crafts, but who come across practical difficulties due to their situation.

The idea is to guarantee hosting and working conditions that respect everyone. For this, we discuss with established farmers and crafts persons in order to take into account all the issues and all the difficulties that could arise. We have created a hosting protocol consisting of a questionnaire to provide a basis for dialogue with the people who would host.

We are looking for :
– farmers and crafts persons wishing to host,
– land and buildings to start an activity,
– training for those who do not yet have experience,
– funding for our activities (employees, travel, surveys, equipment, etc.).

For us, the bet is twofold:
On the one hand, responding to the dilemmas and uncertainties of people who, having left our country of origin, which often involved abandoning our plots, our land and our family ties, are facing difficulties finding living spaces and jobs meeting our desires, needs and life experiences.
On the other hand, to warn about the degradation of institutional support for farmers, the disappearance of agricultural and crafts activities, the issue of generational renewal in agriculture, and the loss of utilised agricultural land because of the expansion of farmland used by the agro-industry and the urban sprawl.

We want to build bridges between the sea, the city and the countryside.
We want to build, from grassroots experiences, common spaces of hospitality, sharing, support and mutual aid, as equals.