A permaculture farm & learning centre in France

We’re building a low-impact farm for the future. We also offer permaculture, meditation, vegan cooking, fermentation and foraging courses.
Our coursesBook a course
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Upcoming courses

21-23 April 2023

Introduction to Permaculture and Vipassana Meditation

12-14 May 2023

Introduction to Permaculture and Vegan Cooking

9-11 June 2023

Introduction to Permaculture and Vipassana Meditation

7-9 July 2023

Introduction to Permaculture and Vegan Cooking

Our courses are free

But we accept donations. See our bookings page for more details.

Other ways to learn permaculture with us

We also propose five-day applied permaculture courses, WWOOFing and one-day introductions to permaculture for groups. Please check our Courses page for more information.

Don't take our word for it

Here are a few testimonials from lovely people who've done a course with us

Quentin Lasson

I participated in The Big Raise's training weekend around permaculture and vegan cooking. It would be a lie to say that I liked these days spent there, as this weekend exceeded my expectations. Blanche and Alexis have been of an irreproachable reception. As soon as we arrived at their place, we thought we had known them for a long time. With a great pedagogy, you learn a lot of things in a respectful and benevolent way. With them there is nothing simpler than permaculture and vegan cooking! And then Alexis is an exceptional chef who regaled us from morning to night! This weekend shook up my ideas and made me want to continue to live like them: committed and passionate.

Laurence Rodriguez

This weekend invited us to question ourselves about our way of life and to find other ways to a more harmonious life, for a better knowledge of oneself… but also of others. I wholeheartedly thank Alexis and Blanche for their warm and generous welcome, which was a key element in the success of this wonderful moment.

Grant Butcher

Blanche and Alexis, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your hospitality and generosity! Your project is inspiring on so many levels and I feel privileged to have been able to participate in this weekend.

Frédéric Aublé

This weekend showed me how wide a subject permaculture is and how it can help to improve not just life on Earth but also human beings.

Vanessa Filhol

The weekend was very refreshing and instructive. It was full of good humour and joyful communication. I loved what we did in the garden and the creativity workshop on the second day. Thank you!

Annick Rivoire

I found the weekend extremely inspiring, engaging, stimulating and motivating!

Florence Marchal

The general tone of the weekend was given by the personality of our hosts. We were bathed in intelligence, kindness, openness, generosity, humour, love, curiosity and determination.

Sophie Gravot

A fantastic weekend! Very rich in human exchanges. It allowed me to have a much clearer vision of what permaculture is. The rhythm of the weekend is good, alternating between moments of meditation, reflection and interaction on the one hand, and a wide variety of physical tasks in the garden on the other. I slept well and the meals were delicious - even for a non-vegan like me!

Julien Lesachey

These two days were particularly rich in exchanges with a really interesting group and great activities! Seeing a real project gives even more value to the concep of permaculture, which is more a philosophy of life than a simple way of cultivating the land. Thank you also for the introduction to Vipassana. Meditating in a group for almost an hour reassured me and I am now thinking of signing up for a Vipassana retreat.”

Stéphanie Charlat

What a fantastic weekend we shared. I found it difficult to come down to earth on the Monday morning; my head was full of words and images. Thank you for this wonderful moment which confirmed my desire to change my life and my investment in permaculture. The weekend was extremely rich and your accompaniment very motivating.

We also offer WWOOFing opportunities

WWOOFing at The Big Raise

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Our news

Solutions

C is for Comfrey

C is for Comfrey

Sep 14, 2022

Comfrey really is an incredible plant. It has deep roots which bring minerals to the surface, particularly potassium which all fruit need to ripen. If you transplant a comfrey plant, you’ll leave some roots behind so it’ll almost certainly regrow. We replant comfrey...

M is for Manual Mower

M is for Manual Mower

Feb 1, 2022

Alexis' Christmas present (for himself!) was a top-of-the-range Fiskars manual mower. a top-of-the-range Fiskars manual mower. It's a real beauty! A solution that is both ancient (from our grandparents) and modern. This high performance but low impact tool will allow...

E is for Extinction Rebellion

E is for Extinction Rebellion

Oct 4, 2019

Extinction Rebellion is an international movement that uses non-violent civil disobedience in an attempt to halt mass extinction and minimise the risk of social collapse. Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great, said Mandela. History is calling from the...