Getting their hands dirty offers pupils a perfect way to reconnect with nature, as well as an opportunity to discover – or to learn more about – biodiversity in the city or the wilder environments of the countryside. Ultimately, it is also an invitation to protect the surrounding natural environment. Overseen by the Foundation, Manuterra has, since 2021, been enabling primary and secondary school pupils to cultivate a plot of land using permaculture skills and techniques during school hours. 

Under the guidance of a horticultural professional (such as a gardener, horticulturalist or market gardener), and an assistant as well as with their usual schoolteacher, each class learns the specific techniques for working the land in tune with the seasons.

For the 2025-2026 school year, 43 classes in 13 boards of education are taking part in the programme, including the Orléans-Tours and Reims boards of education, which are participating for the first time: more than 1,000 pupils will now get to grips with spades, hoes and rakes. The highlight of the year is the harvest of ripe fruit and vegetables, which provides a moment of wonder for primary and secondary school pupils alike.

Over the course of the sessions, pupils engage with different topics according to their age group, such as the role of pollination, the water cycle, the interdependence of living things and seasonality. All this enriches the fundamental skills that they learn in their classrooms, and deepens their understanding of the living world, while underscoring the need to take care of it. Combining play and ecology, the Manuterra programme is devised for tomorrow’s citizens and aims to make them aware from today of the environmental issues that concern us all.