Les bocaux de Parepous

In the heart of the Guyanese forest, Cindy and her husband have chosen to build a veritable ecosystem in their own image. Every day, on a plot of primary forest, they shape a more welcoming, livelier space, without ever denying the nature that surrounds them.

We're recreating nature in the image of what we'd like to live in, something a little less hostile... which is why there are flowers everywhere.

In this living garden, the first plantings are chosen for their rapid growth: banana trees, corn, soursops... They create shade, protect the soil and, over time, give way to other crops.

Little by little, one plant will replace another. It allows for a certain rotation, and quite simply, it allows for life.

She grows a wide variety of fruits and plants: cythere plums, soursop, cramagnoc, giraumon, corn, sugar cane - sometimes nibbled by macaques - and pepper.

I studied agriculture, but there's also a lot of research, curiosity and experience involved. We adapt our crops according to how we evolve too.

Choosing organic means making compromises: mealy bugs, fungi... Sometimes you have to accept producing a little less in order to produce better.

When we went organic, we chose to produce more healthily, even if it meant accepting a few more constraints.

Today, she makes the most of her plants with care. Lemon balm, turmeric, herbs... everything is processed on site. Jams, dried fruits, herbal teas: an online sales site offers all the products from the garden.

Accompanied by her husband, she is developing a self-sufficient energy business thanks to 16 batteries and 18 photovoltaic panels.