Growing sustainable tropical crops in an outermost region  of the European Union: that’s what Julien Villard has been doing since 2016. He left his job as a civil engineer on the European mainland and became a farmer in French Guiana. He set up Villandia Farm, 3 hectares of land where he is building a sustainable and resilient farming system, with a strong focus on agroforestry. The challenges that Julien faces in growing tropical crops are quite similar to the challenges farmers in continental Europe have to deal with.  

At first, Julien Villard didn’t know what to do with the piece of agricultural land that he bought in French Guiana. Once he joined the French network for agricultural innovation and transfer set up for the French outermost regions (RITA), he received professional advice, which helped him to start growing his crops.