Jean-Martin Fortier

Jean-Martin Fortier
Born 1978
Nationality Canadian
Alma mater McGill University
Occupation Farmer, Writer, Educator
Known for Market Gardening, Micro-farming
Notable work The Market Gardener

Jean-Martin Fortier (born 1978) is a Quebecois farmer, author, educator and advocate for economically-viable sustainable agriculture.

Fortier and his wife, Maude-Hélène Desroches, operate Les Jardins de la Grelinette, a certified organic market garden in Saint-Armand, Quebec.[1] The farm has become internationally known for achieving profitability and productivity using biologically intensive cropping systems. The low-tech, high-yield methods of production employed on the micro-farm form the basis of Fortier's bestselling book, The Market Gardener: A Successful Grower's Handbook for Small-Scale Organic Farming.

Biography

Fortier met his wife and farming partner while both were studying at McGill University's School of Environment.[2] After graduating in 2001, Fortier and Desroches spent time working on organic farms in the United States and Mexico. They farmed 0.2 acre of rented land before settling on their own farm in Saint-Armand, Quebec in 2004.[2]

Fortier's first book, The Market Gardener, was first published in French in 2012. He has facilitated more than 50 workshops in Canada, the United States, France, and Belgium, and has published articles about his work in Canadian Organic Grower, La Terre de Chez Nous and Growing for Market.[1] Fortier has worked with the Montreal-based non-profit Équiterre to promote the development of community-supported agriculture, and with the Vancouver-based Young Agrarians network to encourage and educate young entrants into sustainable agriculture.

Fortier is enthusiastic about the development of appropriate technology[3] for small-scale farming and serves as a tool and equipment advisor for Johnny's Selected Seeds and Dubois Agrinovation.[1]

Les Jardins de la Grelinette

Les Jardins de la Grelinette, was named after the grelinette, or broadfork, a gardening tool that for Fortier is "emblematic of manual, ecological and effective organic gardening."[4] 1.5 of the farm's 10 acres are kept in biologically intensive production. The farm produces variety of organic vegetables, as well as some herbs and fruits. The farm direct markets its products at the Knowlton and St.-Lambert farmers' markets in Montreal, to restaurants and stores, and through 140 community-supported agriculture (CSA) shares.[2] In the farm's fourth season, when sales first topped $100,000, the business won a farming competition prize for its outstanding economic performance.[2] The farm now grosses about $140,000 in sales in a typical year.[5] Fortier and Desroches employ paid staff and host interns.[6] They also host on-farm events and tours to help promote sustainable farming.[6]

Production methods

Fortier maximizes yields on a minimum area of land through a “biologically intensive” cropping system.[2] Conventional 4-wheel tractors are eschewed in favor of hand tools and efficient small-scale equipment such as walk-behind tractors. Since hand tools are used for cultivation, rows of crops do not need to be spaced according the dimensions of a tractor and cultivating implements, allowing for intensive spacing.[7] Multiple successions of plantings in a year contribute to a high ratio of yield/area.[2] Minimizing the growing area needed increases the efficiency of the farm in terms of labor (e.g. time needed to cultivate) and materials (e.g. irrigation lines, row cover).[2] Efficiency is also achieved through the standardization of the size of growing spaces - the farm consists of 10 plots containing 16 beds, each bed is 30 inches wide and 100 feet long.[2] This standardization facilitates crop rotation, production planning, calculation of soil amendments, and use of materials such as irrigation lines and crop covers.[2]

The Market Gardener

The Market Gardener book cover

The Market Gardener was first published in French in 2012 as Le Jardinier Maraîcher by Écosociété. The book is illustrated by Marie Bilodeau.

In 2013, charitable organization FarmStart launched an online fundraising campaign to support the English translation of the book.[2] The English translation was published in early 2014 by New Society Publishers.[2] The translation includes a foreword by Severine von Tscharner Fleming of the American non-profit network the Greenhorns and the National Young Farmers Coalition.

The book is designed to serve as a practical handbook for small-scale farming.[2] It details Fortier's production methods and business practices, and includes information on topics such as market garden design, small-scale equipment, soil management, seeding, weed management, insect and disease management, crop planning, and marketing.[2]

Promotion

Fortier has promoted the French language version of the book through speaking tours in Quebec, France and Belgium.[8]

The English language edition is being promoted under the banner of the "Six Figure Farming Tour,"[1] sometimes referred to as the "Rock Star Farmer Tour,"[9] which focuses on promoting farming as a means of earning a comfortable living, while enjoying a beautiful setting and satisfying work.[5] The tour has been carried out in cooperation with young farmer and sustainable agriculture non-profits and projects, including Young Agrarians, FarmStart, National Young Farmers Coalition, Acorn, Friends of Family Farmers, Missouri Young Farmers Coalition, and others. The tour has made several dozen stops in Canada and the United States.[1]

Reception

The Market Gardener has sold more than 30,000 copies (in French and English) and is a best-seller in Canada.[1] The book has received very positive reviews; it has been complimented as practical, accessible and comprehensive.[5][10][11] Reviewers have noted that the book's emphasis on the business aspects of market gardening sets it apart from similar publications.

The book has drawn favorable comparison to farmer Eliot Coleman's influential 1989 book The New Organic Grower.[10] Coleman, who himself reviewed the book, has stated, "Jean-Martin’s book is very well done and should be of great use to market growers everywhere. Exchange of ideas and information is so important because when we pass ideas on, the next person gets to start where we got to and take the ideas to another level."[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 The Market Gardener Website
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 Fortier, Jean-Martin (2014). The Market Gardener: A Successful Grower's Handbook for Small-scale Organic Farming. Canada: New Society Publishers. ISBN 978-0-86571-765-7.
  3. ↑ Fortier, Jean-Martin (Mar 1, 2014). "Six best tools for the market garden". Growing for Market.
  4. ↑ The Market Farmer, Country Guide, April 2014, p. 34
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Byczynski, Lynn (Mar 1, 2014). "Book review: Living the dream: A full-time livelihood on 1.5 acres". Growing for Market.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Les Jardins de la Grelinette". Retrieved Oct 20, 2014.
  7. ↑ Martin, Josh (May 1, 2013). "Growing Better, Not Bigger: How One Quebec Farmer is Making $100,000 on Just 1.5 Acres". Small Farm Canada.
  8. ↑ "Blogue". La Jardinier Maraîcher. Retrieved Oct 20, 2014.
  9. ↑ Dent, Sara (Jan 17, 2014). "Jean Martin Fortier & The Market Gardener Tours BC!". Young Agrarians. Retrieved Oct 20, 2014.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Brisebois, Daniel (Feb 7, 2013). "Book review: Le Jardinier-Maraîcher". Canadian Organic Grower Magazine.
  11. ↑ "Customer Reviews". Amazon. Retrieved Oct 18, 2014.

External links