Here To Explore and Restore
a New Balance With Nature.

At Val de Foy we are working with the principles of permaculture, together with a group of volunteers and students, to create a place for inspiration and to reconnect with nature.

Our Vision

At Val de Foy, our vision is to encourage individuals, agricultural entrepreneurs and various groups to achieve sustainable food systems, wellbeing through the balance with nature and biodiverse environments in which living species can coincide, and reach it’s full productive potential.

We aim to create a healthy and sustainable future where nature is not only accessible, but part of our nature to protect and help flourish.
Kirsten Bruijel
Founder of Val de Foy, a Bloomiverse initiative
I want to leave a positive fingerprint on the planet that has provided me everything — I want to share this regenerative journey with everyone.

What we do

Finding a way to restore our balance with this beautiful planet.

01

Explore

We provide a place to explore how we as humans can learn from nature, rebalance with it and in the process find the key for regenerating our planet instead of exploiting it.

02

Educate

We provide a setting for permaculture, where edible, plain beautiful and medicinal plants can flourish, and promote wellbeing through rebalancing with our natural surroundings.

03

Heal and Inspire

We aim to restore our balance with nature and through this with ourselves. We inspire people to take similar steps, and we share knowledge and insights on how to work with nature instead of against it.
How it began

Meet the founder

Like many of us, I lost my connection with nature, as I journeyed through ‘urban’ life. Although involved professionally in various sustainability, climate change and wellness programs, from behind my laptop, I didn’t feel I was truly making a difference. My longing to be more involved with what we were trying to protect or achieve from a policy perspective, became greater throughout the years. Eventually I ended up becoming a certified beekeeper and a permaculture advisor. My dream was to create a place where I could share my journey’s knowledge with others seeking to find answers about the restoration of nature and biodiversity. And here it is, my ‘Bloomiverse‘ initiative Val de Foy, a place to learn how to work with nature and not against it.
How it began

The story of Val de Foy

When I found a piece of land in the Dordogne in France, it happened to be located on Route De Sainte Foy La Grande. I discovered that Sainte Foy la Grande was a girl who lived in the second century in Roman occupied France. She was condemned to die at the age of twelve because she stood up for her beliefs. Because of her strength to stand up for her convictions in the face of her aggressors, at such an early age, she was remembered as a saint.

This story instantly appealed to my inner self, the woman that wants to pass on a world worth passing on, a righteous place for humans and all living species on it. With this place I want to teach humans to work with nature and not against it. I found it fitting and an ode to this little girl that stood her ground, to name my land Val de Foy, “Valley of Faith”. Not for my land to become a story about religion, but for its spiritual symbolism. My land is a place where people learn to reconnect with nature and respect it.

The land and it’s functions

Kirsten Bruijel, is a certified Permaculture Advisor, certified Beekeeper, certified scyther and person with various artisan and professional skills which help drive her ambition to help nudge nature into regeneration.

Forest edge with underground stream

Val de Foy sits on the edge of a small forest with a water crevice, fostering pioneers trees, weeds and bushes. It’s a perfect place for fungi and bacteria rich soils to come together as a fertile basis.

Domestic animals

Animals are part of our ecosystems. Chickens in particular prefer foresty surroundings and are a perfect addition for working the land, and fertilising it. Also they provide us with a proteine rich diet.

Fruit- and nut bearing trees and bushes

We want our land to be biodiverse and provide us with various types of nourishment. We use fruitbearing trees and bushes as a natural part of layered structures.

Vegetables, herbes and flowers

We created areas around trees and bushes where herbes, one year vegetable bearing plants and flowering plants can flourish and add to a healthy balanced system, that feeds many species all year.
Go Fund my ambitions

Help me create a permaculture Food Forest – Go Fund Me!

There are various investments that need to be done on the land. As I am still setting up means to earn a living, any sort of support is welcome. If my vision inspires you, I would be incredibly grateful if you’d consider making a small donation to help restore this little corner of the planet. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps bring this project one step closer to becoming a place that inspires others to regenerate the land around them. With the donations I am able to buy edible trees and biodiverse shrubs, and do investments to create elements that will kickstart the restoration of the land. Also in the future I aim to create a permanent education centre. This is still a far of dream, but everything I can realise today is a small step towards realising this dream.

If you’re ever in the southwest of France, you’re always welcome to visit Val de Foy and see the progress for yourself.
Val de Foy’s network