Rural services

The next steps in reforming the agriculture sector in Scotland

Supporting farmers and crofters to cut emissions and produce sustainable, high quality food have been set out by Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon. 

The National Lottery Community Fund is offering from £1,000 to £10,000 to support communities across the UK to take action on climate change.

Projects should reflect what matters to your community and can be small in scale. They could cover an area like:

The Connecting Scotland Programme  is now inviting ‘fast track’ applications from organisations working with people at risk of social isolation and loneliness, who can deliver devices in November and December.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 12th November.

Social enterprise, community enterprise and Third Sector organisations are increasingly viewed as an important source of economic growth, a vital source of support for vulnerable communities and a critical path of the reform of public services in Scotland. One area this was highlighted in during the pandemic was in the use of food banks throughout Scotland with some enterprises reporting a 10-fold increase in demand.

Proposals to end the need for food banks as a primary response to food insecurity have been published.

Views are being sought on the Scottish Government’s draft national plan, which is supported by food bank operators, including the Trussell Trust and Independent Food Aid Network.

Researchers from the James Hutton Institute and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research are calling on arable farmers from across Scotland to help them develop a greater understanding of attitudes towards making risky decisions, as part of an international study. 

Do you care where your food comes from? Share your ideas on what more can be done to create a future where all can enjoy locally produced food.