Rémy Vaillot, the former Head of Agricultural Research and Development with Bonduelle is now a volunteer for the APONH project. About 15 people from different professions have worked with the IECD on this federative project.

« When a former colleague told me about the APONH project, I immediately offered my services. I am a very inquisitive person and I traveled a great deal with my work. I come from a large family and lived in a working-class town. Solidarity was the most important thing. Therefore, the idea interested me immediately. I was paid to work for 40 years and now it is time for me to give something back! It offers me a great deal: I like people, meeting them, and seeing how they live. And if I can make my own modest contribution, it’s all the better!

Bonduelle has created a community around the APONH project: the “Aponheurs”. Every month, a management committee is organized with the IECD and Bonduelle’s employees. We greatly appreciate the way in which the IECD interacts with the company: we don’t just invest money, there is also a great deal of human involvement.  There is a genuine wish to make the project work and to obtain results.

There is still much work to be done, but things are going well. Farmers are improving their lives and children are going to school. They are interested in testing new plant varieties: lettuce, pumpkins, carrots, etc. and they are all the more motivated since they are obtaining good results. When I arrived, there were only 15 farmers and there are now more than 50! »