The local government of Ile-de-France, the region around the French capital Paris, recently approved a development plan for 2009-2013 concerning organic farming, which aims at trebling the surfaces devoted to organic cultivations.

Currently the region accounts only 84 certified organic structures, for a market that involves some 12 million consumers and a consumption that have been growing by 10 percent a year in the last ten years.

Besides promoting the conversion to organic of agricultural areas, the plan also provides for the introduction of organic products in school restaurants, following a pilot project that is being experimented in 25 institutes.

The scheduled funds for the project amount to more than 3 million euros a year. These funds will cover aids to farmers for conversion to organic, training for teachers to make them aware of organic farming's benefits, as well as a feasibility study for organic farming installations within the main poles for fruit and vegetables' cultivation in the region.