Planting to Plate: Local Schools And Crofters Bring In The Harvest
An inspiring project which has seen schoolchildren in remote Scottish communities working with local crofters will culminate in a harvest celebration in Inverness on Friday (7 September), where pupils will be serving up their own produce to invited guests.
Planting to Plate is a pilot project set up by the Crofters Commission, the Scottish Crofting Foundation, Soil Association Scotland, The Highland Council, Action 4 Sustainability and Scottish Health Promoting Schools to celebrate crofting in the Highland Year of Culture 2007. [1].
Pupils from Farr Primary in Sutherland and Kilchoan Primary in Lochaber, along with two other rural schools from the Western Isles and Shetland have been growing their own food in school gardens or on neighbouring crofts, learning practical skills from the crofters and discovering the pleasure of eating freshly grown, healthy food.
They will be bringing their produce to a Harvest Celebration dinner [2] to be held at Inverness High School [3] on September 7, where the pupils from participating schools will meet for the first time. There will also be music and dancing, including traditional waulking songs.
As part of the project, the schoolchildren have also been learning more about the history, culture and geography of their local area, the benefits of a healthy diet, and the environmental benefits of crofting, such as increased biodiversity.
Norman Leask, Chair of the Scottish Crofting Foundation said: “We have been inspired by how the children have taken to the Planting to Plate project and have enthusiastically got involved – they are not scared of getting their hands dirty. It is essential that our children understand where food comes from and what is happening in the countryside – their natural heritage. This pilot phase has been very successful so we anticipate the project continuing and connecting with more schools in the future.”
Vice Chairman of The Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sports Committee, Councillor Bren Gormley said: “I would like to congratulate all the schools for their hard work. This project has been a great way for the young people to learn about culture and crofting skills within their own communities. The Harvest celebration dinner in Inverness will be a great chance for the young people to talk about their experiences, share helpful tips with each other and show off to guests some of their own grown produce.”
Drew Ratter, Convener of the Crofters Commission said: “I’m delighted that during the Highland Year of Culture this project has enabled schools to teach children about crofting – past, present and future - in their local communities. They’ve had hands-on experience of growing food, from preparing the ground through to tasting the results of their work, and they’ve learnt skills from local crofters. These children are developing pride in the history and culture of their communities, as well as becoming discerning consumers of fresh, healthy, locally produced food. This can only be good for the future of crofting.”
Hugh Raven, Director of Soil Association Scotland, said: “We are very pleased to have worked with this project, which has connected the pupils with methods of producing food - traditional and contemporary - in their own communities. They have discovered the pleasures and challenges of growing their own food, and have learned how it can be done in ways that benefit the environment. As a way of cutting down on food miles, and the resulting carbon emissions, this project is exemplary. For the future of food production in the Highlands and Islands, it is inspirational.”
1.To celebrate crofting in the Highland Year of Culture 2007, the Crofters Commission, the Scottish Crofting Foundation, Soil Association Scotland, The Highland Council, Action 4 Sustainability and Scottish Health Promoting Schools have worked in partnership to develop Planting to Plate. The project ties in well with current and emerging national policies and initiatives within the areas of health and education.
Traditional crofting is sympathetic to concepts such as the Slow Food movement, free range and organic systems of farming, and the promotion of local and seasonal produce. In addition, crofting methods naturally enhance biodiversity and the environment.
The Planting to Plate co-ordinator has been working with the pilot schools and local crofters since June 2006. The schools were selected partly because the project fitted with programmes of work already in place and because there was considerable enthusiasm for the project.
2. On Thursday 6 September the participating school parties from Whalsay, Lewis, Farr and Kilchoan will meet and mix at an evening supper at Glachbeg Croft Education Centre on the Black Isle. On Friday 7 September, the schools will spend the morning with folklorist Margaret Bennett at Dingwall Mart, followed by a visit to Cawdor Castle (which is hosting the Living Food festival on September 29), before returning to Inverness High School to prepare for the Harvest Celebration in the evening.
3. Inverness High School has been running another successful initiative, the REAL project, which is creating life-changing opportunities for students. Through improvements to the curriculum and facilities, work experience, and community involvement, students are gaining invaluable skills and knowledge. For example, students grow vegetables in the school grounds and sell them at Inverness farmers’ market through the REAL Organics initiative. They are the only Highland school to be awarded funding under the ‘Schools of Ambition Initiative’.