One Dordogne resident's property search is all about the fight against the rising cost of living.

THE classified ad in the Property Wanted section of a popular Dordogne expat forum read:

"WANTED: Land WITHOUT CU for growing vegetables and chickens. Very close to Eymet preferred. Up to 1 hectare. Riverside or with water source preferred. " and a contact email address.

Was it that the advertiser, perhaps, up until moving to the Dordogne only ever had a windowbox for a garden in the UK and wanted a hobby vegetable plot? Or was the ad placed by someone who was trying to lighten the load on the planet?

What was unusual about the ad was that it was the first time I had ever seen a request from somebody for up to 2.5 acres of agricultural land with the express intention of growing veg and keeping chickens.

So, I decided to find out for myself and contacted the advertiser.

I asked Lydia if her reason for wanting to by the land was, in fact, her own contribution to easing the burden on the planet to supply us all with food. Here's what she had to say:

"...the bottom line is that rising food and energy prices will inevitably have an impact on our lifestyles and livelihoods. I spend 4 or 5 months of the year in India where I work on several charitable projects as a volunteer.

A dear friend of mine there is a professor of economics who is also a systems thinker. He is actively involved with a major international NGO who transform world drought areas into viable and sustainable communities.

He has convinced me that world fuel and food shortages are not merely a received wisdom, but a reality whose trajectory we cannot escape. I believe that self sufficiency is not only a hedge against the future; for example, extracting the 'air miles' from our food, but could also contribute to my own personal household economy! No one has a crystal ball but one thing is for certain.

A world food crisis is afoot. Why not get growing?"

She goes on to say, "Here in France, we are blessed with a climate and environment where growing food is relatively easy. When I see the grass on roadside verges being cut to pretty them up, I cant help counting as I pass....1 goat........2 goats......3 goats. Honestly, once you start thinking about it you start noticing."

Lydia's absolutely right. It's beyond me why more people in France aren't making better use of their land. As an estate agent, I struggle a lot of the time to find properties with small gardens for people who want them. There's so much more land that goes with French property than in other countries.