Fruitiers.net/en

Location data

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Rental	France
Coordinates	44.30268, 4.56735

fruitiers.net was a collaborative website launched in 2006, dedicated to the research and sharing of old and local varieties of fruit plants. It allowed individuals to donate plant material through an online "graft exchange" system and share know-how related to fruit tree cultivation, thus promoting cultivated biodiversity. It was linked to other websites by the same creator: greffer.net (technical documentation on plant propagation) and pomum.fr (pomology).

History

The website was created in 2006 by Patrice Dumas, residing in Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche (FR- 07700), as a voluntary leisure activity, as mentioned in the magazine 4 saisons du jardinage (no. 158, May/June 2006, press distribution code L6052). This personal initiative brought together enthusiasts from all over the world around ecological practices of grafting, cultivation, and preservation, and has, over time, featured more than 10,000 distinct fruit varieties.

fruitiers.net distinguished itself through its community-based approach, lacking both commercial ambition and institutional structure. It thrived for fifteen years, operating thanks to the voluntary participation of its members, enabling the free exchange of plant material and technical information. The idea of ​​creating a transactional platform for plant graft donations on the web is considered innovative; previously, it was necessary to rely on associations and classified ads, involving tedious and lengthy procedures. This led to the website's rapid success due to the need it addressed.

Recognition

The project was cited as a reference in several publications related to agroecology and the preservation of plant heritage. Associations and organizations promoted its principles in initiatives to raise awareness of cultivated biodiversity.

Controversies and closure

The site's permanent closure by its creator in 2021 elicited mixed reactions from some users. However, it's important to remember that fruitiers.net and other related sites were personal projects undertaken as a voluntary hobby, with no obligation to maintain them permanently. Contrary to some claims, its closure was not abrupt: a notice was widely circulated in advance, allowing users to retrieve their data. Furthermore, the site's GDPR compliance enabled users to download all their personal data and published content with a single click, and to take steps regarding any unfinished transactions.

Following the site's closure, mirror versions were published by some webmasters, sometimes presented as archival material. However, it should be noted that these reproductions were not made with the permission of the rights holders , and that the original content of these sites is subject to copyright .

Other websites have taken up the concept, under a similar name, but have nothing to do with the original site or its creator owner (see section "references").

References

• 4 Seasons Gardening Magazine No. 158, May/June 2006.
• On the original website of the Brotherhood of Rare Fruit Tree Planters (Confrérie des Planteurs de Fruitiers Rares: Autres liens) , the graft exchange was recognized and subsequently featured in a dedicated article: " Fruit Tree Graft Exchange: An Exceptional Idea on the Net," which credits fruitiers.net as the project's originator. The 2024 version of the website Fruitiers rares.info , titled "The Graft Exchange: An Exceptional Idea on the Net," which includes articles from coplfr.org, identifies fruitiers.org as a separate site, even though it shares some of the same principles and has no connection to the creator of fruitiers.net. The article also includes a similar one, but with a different destination website.