Els Thermote
"We are determined to create a healthy and equitable world for generations to come. We strive to inspire and support farmers in their transition to more sustainable approaches. Our goal is to create a community where individuals can connect with nature and the intricate web of the food system."
The domain
A historic farm with a preserved ecosystem
Located in Tournai, Domaine de Graux is 120 hectares of crops, vegetable gardens, orchards, pasture and livestock farming. It is a working farm by heart, one where agroecological principles align agriculture, animals and people in harmony.
We want to prove that agroecology is scalable at any size and leads to increases in crop resilience. This is not only a source of hope for all, but it is also a response to current challenges linked to the degradation of biodiversity, climate change and consumption patterns in general.
The farm
120 hectares.
One living system.
Everything at Domaine de Graux is grown, raised or restored according to agroecological principles: work with the land's own logic instead of against it. That means healthy soil comes before high yield, diversity is treated as a strength rather than a complication, and every part of the farm, crops, animals, hedgerows, people, is understood to depend on every other part.
Certified organic since 2011, the farm has spent well over a decade proving what that looks like in practice: fewer inputs, more resilience, and soil that keeps getting healthier instead of more tired.
The farm isn't one thing. It's several, working together.
The Market Garden
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The Fields
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The Orchard
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The Mandala Garden
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Woodlands & biodiversity
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Educational Space
Educational Space
Somewhere between the rustle of a wheat field and the stillness of the orchard, a 3.5-kilometre art path winds through the working heart of the farm. It isn't a detour from the farm. It runs straight through it, past the fields, the hedgerows, the animals going about their day.
Along the way, works from international and local emerging artists are placed to do one simple thing: make you look twice. A piece might catch the light differently than you expected, raise a question you weren't planning to ask, or simply stop you in a spot you'd otherwise have walked straight past.
The art path
The museum
To imagine what farming could become, it helps to understand how it got here. The Domaine's museum traces that history, not as a static collection of facts, but as a living narrative where past, present and future meet.
Visitors don't just read about how our food system evolved from the hand plough to the industrial revolution to today's regenerative movement. They walk through it, room by room, decision by decision, and come out the other side with a clearer sense of where things could go next. It's built for the curious ten-year-old and the agricultural policy expert alike; the story holds up either way.
The education space
Our values
Respect
Respect the land and people. It is by nourishing the earth, and regenerating healthy soils, that we will once again be able to provide nutritious food for all.
Sharing
It is by sharing our knowledge, drawing inspiration from research, and experimentation with new approaches that we can create a more sustainable future.
Optimism
We believe that change is possible and that by working together, we can make the agroecological transition a success. Each and every one of us can make a difference.
Respect
Respect the land and people. It is by nourishing the earth, and regenerating healthy soils, that we will once again be able to provide nutritious food for all.
Sharing
It is by sharing our knowledge, drawing inspiration from research, and experimentation with new approaches that we can create a more sustainable future.
Optimism
We believe that change is possible and that by working together, we can make the agroecological transition a success. Each and every one of us can make a difference.
history
A story that begins in the 15th century
Founded in 1492, Domaine de Graux has succeeded in preserving its natural character, with an exceptional ecological network. The natural landscape of the farm is always changing and evolving in tune with the broader ecosystem, promoting reconnection with oneself and with nature.
Long before "regenerative agriculture" had a name, this land was already being cared for. The Seigneurie de Graux was an established farm in the 15th century, and in the five centuries since, it has changed hands, changed crops, and changed with the times, but never lost the thread of stewardship that runs through all of it.
1873
Grain and horses
Agroecology as a living framework for organisations that want to grow sustainably, adapt wisely, and restore what they draw from.
1940s
Biodiversity takes root
Paul Simon, an ornithology enthusiast, plants trees and hedges and digs ponds across the estate. That quiet, patient work is why the Domaine's 120 hectares hold such a rich ecological network today.
2011
Organic certification
Elisabeth, Paul's daughter, takes over and steers the farm toward organic practices. Crops diversify. Animals return to the land.
2014
Building for the long term
The estate becomes energy self-sufficient and plants a 9-hectare conservation orchard, laying the groundwork for what would later become a place to gather, not just to farm.
2020
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people de graux
The team behind
the domain
Every event at Domaine de Graux is shaped by the people behind it. Our team works with you to build an experience that fits your goals, your culture, and the kind of impact you want your team to take home. Whether you arrive with a clear brief or just a sense that you want to do something different, we are here to help you shape it.
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