Mille Variétés Anciennes

Mille Variétés Anciennes is a French conservatory of heirloom vegetable seeds based at the Sainte-Marthe farm in Sologne, France. It was founded in 1974 by Philippe Desbrosses, a pioneer of organic farming in France, on his family farm. The conservatory safeguards and reproduces more than 1,840 rustic, reproducible, non-F1-hybrid vegetable varieties, and it celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024. The organization operates as a seed conservatory and supplier, offering old vegetable varieties to gardeners and farmers. Its catalogue includes traditional root vegetables, salads, herbs and other potager crops. A representative offering is its "Assortiment Légumes Racines Anciens" (heirloom root vegetable assortment), a kit of six old varieties: Carotte demi-longue Rouge Sang, Navet Globe Saint Benoît, Chou Navet Jaune de Saint Marc, Betterave rouge Crapaudine, Persil Tubéreux à Grosse Racine and Radis Violet de Gournay. These are chosen for their garden value, hardiness and culinary uses, and are intended to be sown progressively from spring to late summer to extend the harvest into autumn and provide storage vegetables. The conservatory's mission is closely tied to the history of organic agriculture in France. Philippe Desbrosses was one of the pioneers behind the official recognition of organic farming; he chaired the national commission of the AB label until 2007 and, from 1978, led negotiations that resulted in the officialization and certification of organic agriculture in France. He also served as an expert consultant to the European Union. Mille Variétés Anciennes positions itself as a guardian of agricultural biodiversity and seed sovereignty, promoting reproducible, non-hybrid varieties that gardeners can save and replant. Its work supports the preservation of heritage vegetable varieties that might otherwise disappear from cultivation. The organization communicates directly with the public through its website, where it presents its seed assortments, its history and its founder's legacy.

Mille Variétés Anciennes was founded in 1974 by Philippe Desbrosses on his family farm, the Sainte-Marthe farm in Sologne, France. The farm itself has since celebrated its 100th anniversary, and the conservatory marked 50 years of organic farming in 2024. Desbrosses was one of the pioneers behind the official recognition of organic agriculture in France. He chaired the national commission of the AB label until 2007 and, from 1978, led negotiations that resulted in the officialization and certification of organic agriculture in France. He also served as an expert consultant to the European Union. The conservatory was created to safeguard and reproduce heirloom vegetable seeds. Today it maintains and reproduces more than 1,840 rustic, delicious vegetable varieties, focusing on reproducible, non-F1-hybrid types that gardeners can save and replant. In 2024 the organization celebrated its 50th anniversary, highlighting its long-standing role in preserving agricultural biodiversity. Over the decades, Mille Variétés Anciennes has supplied old vegetable varieties to gardeners and farmers, and it continues to promote the cultivation and conservation of heritage crops through its catalogue and educational communications. Its flagship offering, the Assortiment Légumes Racines Anciens, exemplifies its approach: a curated set of six old root vegetable varieties chosen for their garden value, hardiness and culinary uses, intended to be sown progressively from spring to late summer to extend the harvest into autumn.

• 2024

  The conservatory celebrates its 50th anniversary and 50 years of organic farming.

• 2007

  Desbrosses concludes his chairmanship of the national commission of the AB label.

• 1978

  Desbrosses leads negotiations that result in the officialization and certification of organic agriculture in France.

• 1974

  Philippe Desbrosses creates the Conservatoire de semences de variétés anciennes on his family farm.

Guardian of agricultural biodiversity and heirloom seed sovereignty, offering rustic, reproducible, non-F1-hybrid vegetable varieties.

• Assortiment Légumes Racines Anciens

  A kit of six heirloom root vegetable varieties: Carotte demi-longue Rouge Sang, Navet Globe Saint Benoît, Chou Navet Jaune de Saint Marc, Betterave rouge Crapaudine, Persil Tubéreux à Grosse Racine and Radis Violet de Gournay.

1. 1Conservatoire semences potagères anciennes - bienvenue - Mille Variétés Anciennesmillevarietesanciennes.org
2. 2Mille Variétés Ancienneswikidata.org