Food and Growing

Food news latest -

> Nourish Scotland 'Right to Food' report
> Get TBI Growing Guide
> Report on Community growing space
> Good Food Nation

*March 2024

Gardening workshops at Allangrange

A new season of gardening workshops at the Black Isle Brewery market garden at Allangrange begins on 14 March, under the charge of new Head Grower Emma Stewart.

A list of the workshops and booking links are on our  Other growing groups and courses  page.

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*January 2024

Nourish Scotland January newsletter

• Public diners conference  1 February
• Seed diversity in Scotland  webinar 23 January
• Farm for Scotland's Future campaign update
• Controlled environment agriculture  webinar 30 January
  Jo Hunt, owner of Knockfarrel Produce, is one of the speakers.

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*December 2023

Highland Good Food Partnership December newsletter

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December 2023

Highland Council reviewing Allotments policy

Highland Council is reviewing and updating its Allotments policy and running a consultation survey closing on 2 February.

Read the draft updated policy

Complete the survey

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April 2023

Wildflower Meadow Mosaic - an initiative by Highlife Highland Rangers . .

. . with help from Highland Environment Forum and supported by Highland Council's Nature Restoration Fund.

HEF's Meadow Mosaic web page

HLH Rangers article  ‘It is okay to have a messy garden‘

Guide to making your own meadow
 

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March 2023

Food forests: a tool for tackling the world’s big issues?

by Anne MacLennan             
From Skye Climate Action  March 2023 newsletter   (recommended)

Food forests are modelled on natural forest structures with a wide diversity of perennial plants of different heights, producing crops which are edible or which provide other benefits such as medicinal properties or attracting pollinators. The edible parts can be roots, leaves, bark and/or fruits, and there are many potential foods that are not in the common diet. Did you know that hosta shoots and beech leaves are good to eat? Or try nibbling hazel catkins.

The Agroforestry Research Trust has recently held an international online symposium on Food Forests, with dozens of passionate speakers sharing their experiences with fantastic photos and videos from across the world. Many presenters were motivated by the urgent need to address many current crises such as climate change, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, escalating food costs as well as physical and mental health issues. Videos from the 2021 symposium are freely available at https://www.agroforestry.co.uk/presentations/  

“A forest garden is a place where nature and people meet halfway, between the canopy of trees and the soil underfoot. It doesn’t have to look like a forest – what’s important is that natural processes are allowed to unfold, to the benefit of plants, people and other creatures. The result is an edible ecosystem.”  Tomas Remiarz, Forest Gardening in Practice

The major disadvantage of starting a forest garden is that it involves physical work and outlay on plants and materials to set up, with small returns in the first few years. The enormous benefits include an increasing harvest after these few years, and biodiversity – birds, insects, fungi, amphibians and soil organisms,  reducing inputs and costs. There is no need to prepare the ground and plant every year, followed by the disruption of harvesting the whole plant as with annual crops.

Over the years, a functioning ecosystem develops with self-sustaining fertility and resilience to drought and flood. This is a carbon-sequestering system and with time, emits little or no greenhouse gases – it becomes carbon negative. Economic benefits include the production of timber, firewood and abundant healthy food for the gardeners, but also potential commercial sales of high-end products, running workshops and courses, conducting tours etc. Socially, people can gain confidence, build relationships and re-establish a connection with nature. Even a small garden patch can become more productive by applying the principles of perennial plantings and maximum diversity.

For a short introduction to forest gardens, click here, and for a more detailed guide, look here.

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January 2023

Nourish Scotland February newsletter - 'Right to Food' report published

This newsletter sees the publication of the report of Nourish's 'Right to Food' project - 'The project worked with government agencies and community members to define a diet that is healthy enough, enjoyable and a good fit for people's lives.'   There are summary and full versions of the report, and interesting details of the methods used in preparing it.

The newsletter also reports on highlights of the Oxford Real Farming Conference - 'the largest agroecological gathering on the planet.'

Read the newsletter  (with links to the report)

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October 2022

SP Report on Community growing space

The Scottish Parliament's Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee chaired by Highland Green MSP Ariane Burgess, has recently conducted an in-depth enquiry into the availability of allotments and other land for community growing in the light of Part 9 of the Community Empowerment Act of 2015.  These are their conclusions

The Committee's inquiry has highlighted many of the positive developments made since the Community Empowerment Act came into force, but the overwhelming message from witnesses and the evidence received is that there are nonetheless significant and growing waiting lists for accessing allotments and challenges to accessing land for growing. Many local authorities have not met the Act's requirements to prepare a Food Growing Strategy and don't have staff leading on allotments and growing.

The importance of access to green space and the benefits of growing is clear. It can quite literally empower communities and improve people's health and quality of life. But when resources are limited it is perhaps easy for local authorities' responsibilities under the Act to become a low priority.

The Committee believes though that it is more important now than ever that there is renewed effort to deliver on the intentions of the Act, led by the Scottish Government supporting local authorities. It would therefore welcome the Scottish Government's response to its recommendations made throughout this report.

Read the report online

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May 2022   From Skye Climate Action newsletter

Highland Council - Community Food Growing

The Highland Council's Community Food Growing Strategy was published in February.  To tackle inequalities, improve inclusion and respond to the climate emergency, the Strategy's vision is "By 2027 Highland communities are resilient, empowered and supported to grow their own food.

"The Strategy document gives examples of community growing across Highland, including edible villages, school projects, community orchards and community gardens, such as the Raasay Walled Garden.  The Strategy seeks to support growers across Highland, improve access to land for community food growing, and help community groups and schools to set up projects on Council land and school grounds.  There is an action plan, and the Council will try to source funds, land, connect people to groups, information and resources and help with things like tool libraries.

More information about how to start community food growing is in the Guidance Document.

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June  2022

Good Food Nation Bill passed unopposed

The Bill requires the Scottish Government and certain public bodies to create good food nation plans to support social and economic wellbeing, the environment, health, and economic development. According to the Scottish Government, these plans will help ensure good quality, locally sourced and produced food is a practical everyday reality for everyone.

Read more

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May 2022

'Unexpected Garden' in Alness - Dandelion and Feis Ross

A group of TBI members visited the garden on Sunday 24 July

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May 2022

World food crisis?

The spectre of a potentially catastrophic crisis in the world's food supply and distribution system has been raised in several recent articles.

'The coming food catastrophe'
The Economist  20 May 2022

'The banks collapsed in 2008 – and our food system is about to do the same'
George Monbiot   The Guardian  19 May 2022

'The food crisis is what happens when global chains collapse'
Will Hutton   The Observer  22 May 2022

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January 2022

The future of Food?

'The Economist'  magazine's latest Technology Quarterly contains a number of articles on aspects of the future of food, including technologies for producing meat without animals and milk without cows, and urban 'vertical farms'.

Technology can help deliver cleaner, greener delicious food

Cows are no longer essential for meat and milk

Meat no longer requires animal slaughter

Microbes are being used more and more to make delicious food

Vertical farms are growing more and more vegetables in urban areas

Feeding 9bn people will mean reimagining the edible world

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Get the TBI Growing Guide

Anyone looking for gardening advice appropriate to the Black Isle should buy a copy of TBI's 'Growing Guide'  by Sheila Wickens, which can be obtained for £12 by emailing  info@transitionblackisle.org .

You can preview individual chapters of the Guide via the links on our TBI Growing Guide  page.
 

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