ADAF - Arbre et Sol Vivant

What ADAF - Arbre et Sol Vivant does

ADAF - Arbre et Sol Vivant is a French non-profit association (association loi 1901, recognized as an association d'intérêt général) founded in September 2015, headquartered in Bonlieu-sur-Roubion in the Drôme department. The organization provides technical accompaniment, training, and applied research to support farmers transitioning to agroecological practices across Drôme, Ardèche, Vaucluse, and Isère in southeastern France. Its service portfolio centers on four integrated offerings: (1) agroforestry consulting covering design, planting, and multi-year maintenance of trees and hedgerows on agricultural land; (2) living soil and regenerative agriculture services including reduced tillage, permanent plant cover, and cover crop seeding (SCV); (3) regenerative hydrology consulting for rainwater management and groundwater restoration; and (4) Qualiopi-certified professional training programs across these domains, with 19 formations delivered annually and an 18.5/20 satisfaction rating. Complementary activities include participatory planting workshops (chantiers participatifs) that mobilize volunteers, students, and farmers each December-to-March planting season, and applied research programs conducted through GIEE groups and partnerships with INRAE Gotheron and ISARA.

The association operates with a 10-person team led by specialized project managers covering agroforestry, MSV, and SCV domains, supported by a direction team. Its business model is multi-stream: annual membership fees, public donations under the general-interest tax regime, training revenues largely subsidized via VIVEA professional training credits for farmers, and project-based public funding from Plan de Relance, Agence de l'eau RMC, Fondation de France, Fonds CASDAR, and regional councils. Scale indicators include 46 project holders and 20,500 trees planted across 60 hectares in the 2021-2022 season, growing to 55 agroforestry projects (including 9 regenerative hydrology projects) in 2024-2025, with 100 farms under multi-year plantation monitoring. Customer base consists of small independent farmers — viticulteurs, market gardeners, livestock operators, and arable crop producers — alongside municipalities seeking landscape restoration and water management support. The association's competitive position is built on deep regional embeddedness, Qualiopi-certified training authority, and a multi-stakeholder partnership ecosystem spanning research institutions, agricultural chambers, biodiversity NGOs, and territorial parks.

Name

ADAF - Arbre et Sol Vivant

Legal name

ADAF - Arbre et Sol Vivant

Website

https://adaf26.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ADAF is a French non-profit association providing technical consulting, Qualiopi-certified training, and participatory research to help farmers in Drôme, Ardèche, Vaucluse, and Isère transition to agroforestry, living soil, and regenerative hydrology practices, serving a long-tail base of small agricultural operations across the region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agroforestry and Agroecological Advisory Services

NAICS

Farm Management Services (115116), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Monitoring, Survival Surveys & Carbon/MRV Services (Remote Sensing, Field Audits) (AFAMACAO), Tree Planting & Establishment Services (Manual/Mechanized) (AFAMACAE), Irrigation, Water & Energy Efficiency Operations Advisory (AFACAJAM)

Keywords

• Agroforestry consulting
• Living soil agriculture
• Regenerative hydrology
• Farmer training programs
• Agroecological transition

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonlieu-sur-Roubion

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees provide voting rights at general assemblies and support the association's operations. Members contribute financially to enable ongoing agroforestry and agroecology projects.
2. Donations: Public donations from individuals supporting agricultural transition, environmental protection, and landscape restoration initiatives. ADAF is a recognized association of general interest (association d'intérêt général).
3. Training Services: Qualiopi-certified professional training programs for farmers on agroecology topics. Some trainings are funded through Vivéa credits for eligible agricultural workers. The association offers 19 training programs annually.
4. Public Funding and Subsidies: Project-based public financing from government recovery plans (Plan de Relance), regional councils, water agencies, and agricultural ministry for agroforestry and soil conservation projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ADAF provides technical advisory, training, and on-the-ground support to help farmers implement agroforestry systems (trees combined with crops or livestock), living soil practices (reduced tillage, permanent cover, crop diversification), and regenerative hydrology. Services span project design, participatory planting workshops, multi-year plantation monitoring, Qualiopi-certified farmer training, and applied research-action programs.

Product overview

ADAF (Association Drômoise d'Agroforesterie) operates as a non-profit association specializing in agroecological transition support. Its service portfolio centers on four interconnected offerings: (1) Agroforestry Consulting providing design, implementation, and monitoring of agroforestry systems and hedgerows; (2) Living Soil & Regenerative Agriculture services covering reduced tillage, permanent cover crops, and soil conservation; (3) Regenerative Hydrology consulting for water management; and (4) Qualiopi-certified Training Programs spanning agroforestry, living soil market gardening (MSV), cover crop seeding (SCV), and orchard agroforestry. The organization complements these services with participatory planting workshops (chantiers participatifs), applied research programs through GIEE groups, plantation monitoring, and technical publications including the MSV technical booklet.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agroforestry Advisory and Accompaniment Technical consulting and field support for farmers implementing agroforestry systems, including project design, plant sourcing, planting workshops, and multi-year maintenance guidance for trees and hedgerows on agricultural land in Drôme, Ardèche, Vaucluse and Isère.
• Living Soil and Regenerative Agriculture Support Advisory services covering reduced tillage, permanent plant cover, crop diversification, vitiforesterie, living soil market gardening (Maraîchage sur Sol Vivant), and conservation agriculture techniques for farmers transitioning to regenerative practices.
• Regenerative Hydrology Consulting Consulting on regenerative water management practices aimed at slowing, distributing, and infiltrating rainwater to sustainably restore soil moisture and groundwater reserves on farms and territories.
• Qualiopi-Certified Farmer Training Programs Professional training programs certified Qualiopi covering agroforestry design, living soil market gardening (MSV), cover crop seeding (SCV), agroforestry orchards, and regenerative practices. Nineteen training programs are offered annually with a satisfaction rating of 18.5/20; many are funded via Vivéa credits for eligible farmers.
• Participatory Planting Workshops (Chantiers Participatifs) Seasonal collective tree-planting events held from December to early March in Drôme, Ardèche, and neighboring departments, connecting farmers with volunteers, students, and community members for hands-on agroforestry implementation.
• Research-Action Programs Applied research programs in agroecology and agroforestry, including participation in GIEE (economic and environmental interest groups) for living soil agriculture, vitiforesterie, and ALTO low-input farming systems.
• Agroforestry Plantation Monitoring and Follow-up Multi-year tracking and evaluation services for approximately 100 farms, monitoring tree survival rates, plant health, species adaptation, mulching conditions, vegetation management, and irrigation practices over N+1, N+2, N+3 years after planting.

Quantifiable outcome

• 46 projects and 20,500 trees planted in 2021/2022 season
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Atelier PaysanminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Partner on ViReg project for designing and building agricultural tool prototypes for cover crop management in viticulture.
• Valence Romans AgglocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Co-organized technical days on conservation agriculture with ADAF. Supports soil conservation initiatives and farmer training through the GIEE Agriculture on Living Soils Drôme-Ardèche group.
• Chambre d'Agriculture de la DrômecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Collaboration on conservation agriculture technical days and farmer support programs. Co-organizes events and shares expertise in organic agriculture and soil management.
• Ecole Supérieure d'Agriculture (ISARA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Academic partner for technical days with researcher Joséphine Peigné specializing in agricultural soils and conservation agriculture in organic farming.
• AgribiodrômecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Organic farming association partner for conservation agriculture discussions and farmer support in Drôme region.
• Mission HaiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Hedgerow and bocage mission providing expertise on hedgerow design, planting, and management for farm agroforestry projects.
• Des enfants et des arbresminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022Children and trees association co-organizing educational planting activities with school children on farms.
• Jean-Luc PetitcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2020Arboriculture specialist and author delivering training on orchard-market garden design and fruit tree management in collaboration with ADAF.
• Agri Bio ArdèchecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2020Co-organizes agroforestry farm visits and planting workshops in Ardèche territory. Partners on farmer training and knowledge sharing events.
• INRAE GotheroncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2020Research partner for ALTO project on low-input farming systems. Presents experimental orchard designs and participates in farmer exchange events.
• Parc Naturel des BaronniescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2020Regional park partnership to accompany farmers in agroforestry and soil conservation projects within the Baronnies territory.
• CEFA MontélimarcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2020Forestry training center whose students participate in agroforestry planting workshops and farm projects as pedagogical activities.
• Terre en SèvecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2019Partner network for MSV (living soil market gardening) training and knowledge sharing across regions.
• Cirad and INRA (World Agroforestry Congress)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2019ADAF participated in the 4th World Agroforestry Congress in Montpellier organized by Cirad and INRA, supporting the Montpellier Declaration for agroforestry adoption.
• LPO Drôme (Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2018Collaborates on biodiversity diagnostics and enhancement projects on farms. Jointly organizes biodiversity action days with ADAF and Hirondelle aux Champs.
• L'Hirondelle aux ChampscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2018Association partner for biodiversity diagnostics on farms. Co-develops habitat enhancement projects combining agricultural and biodiversity objectives.
• GRAB (Groupement de Recherche en Agriculture Biologique)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership on orchard-market garden (verger-maraîcher) research and development. Co-organized webinaire on orchard-market garden systems with Agroof and Civam PACA.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Terre & Humanisme: French association promoting agroecology founded by Pierre Rabhi. Comparable to ADAF on non-profit agroecology training, farmer accompaniment, and grassroots network of practitioners.
• Solagro: French non-profit engineering office working on agroecology, energy, and sustainable resource management. Comparable to ADAF on advisory, research, and policy work supporting agroecological transition of farms.
• Agroof: French research and consulting cooperative specialized in agroforestry and orchard-maraîcher systems. Closely comparable to ADAF on technical advisory, R&D-action projects, and farmer training in Mediterranean agroforestry.
• Ver de Terre Production: French agroecology training and content company producing courses on soil health, conservation agriculture, and agroforestry. Comparable to ADAF on training delivery, content production, and farmer capacity-building.
• GRAB (Groupement de Recherche en Agriculture Biologique): French organic agriculture applied research organization — a confirmed ADAF partner on orchard-maraîcher systems. Comparable on applied research, technical publications, and farmer-facing training in agroecology.
• Association Française d'Agroforesterie (AFAF): National French agroforestry association promoting agroforestry adoption across France. Directly comparable to ADAF as it provides farmer advisory, training, and policy advocacy on the same agroforestry practices ADAF delivers at regional level in Drôme/Ardèche.
• Haies & Bocages (formerly Mission Haies): National specialist association on hedgerow and bocage planting, design, and management — a confirmed ADAF partner. Comparable on hedgerow advisory, technical training, and farmer planting projects.
• Terre en Sève: Network organization for Maraîchage sur Sol Vivant (MSV) living-soil market gardening — a confirmed ADAF partner. Comparable to ADAF on living-soil training, farm visits, and practitioner exchange specifically on MSV practices.

Broad incumbents

• Chambre d'Agriculture de la Drôme: Public regional chamber of agriculture providing farmer advisory and technical support across all topics — a confirmed ADAF partner. Comparable on conservation agriculture technical days and farmer support, but with broader mandate beyond agroforestry.
• CIVAM (Centres d'Initiatives pour Valoriser l'Agriculture et le Milieu rural): National French network of rural development associations running training, farm visits, and group animation. Comparable to ADAF on participatory farmer engagement and group-based agroecology programs, but operates at national scale across many topics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCl6ht9KfA_d7_rm4CmhzpMw
• Facebookfacebook.com/adaf26.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adaf-arbre-et-sol-vivant
• Instagraminstagram.com/adaf.26

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ADAF - Arbre et Sol Vivant