Seed planted by The Highland Council to encourage communities to grow their own food
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
COMMUNITIES across Ross-shire are to be encouraged to grow their own food and be ‘inspired, empowered and supported’ by a new strategy agreed this week.
Councillors agreed on the Growing Our Future - Highland Community Food Growing Strategy which they hope will inspire individuals and groups to grow their own food.
An annual progress report will be carried out on the strategy to assess its implementation.
Cllr Allan Henderson, chair of Communities and Place Committee said: “Lockdown and the restrictions placed upon us sharply focussed the attention on food supply and demand.
"This created a massive rise in interest in growing your own food and an increase in community food growing initiatives not just in Highland but across the whole country.
“This inspirational new strategy sows the seeds of ideas for community groups - providing guidance and direction to grow their own food. I would like to thank the officers and the Community Food Growing Coordinator, Kirsty Ellen for bringing before us Highland’s first community food growing strategy.
"Not only does this support the Council’s community empowerment approach, Health and Prosperity Strategy, and help to achieve net zero targets it also - most importantly - will help to improve the health and wellbeing of our communities.”
Local authorities must develop a food growing strategy under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015.
They hope that by 2027, communities are resilient, empowered and supported to grow their own food.
