Barley was the most cultivated cereal through the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. Around 8,000 years ago a single gene mutation in a barley plant in northern Iran enabled it to freely shed its husks when harvested and threshed, so the grain could be eaten without...
The Peatland Training Fund will provide financial support to over-16s living in Scotland, who want to develop skills for a peatland career. People already working in peatland restoration who would like additional training can also apply. The aim is to increase the...
by Janet Ullman, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation janet.ullman@arc-trust.org Saving Scotland's Amphibians and Reptiles is a project of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC). We work with crofters to support their needs in establishing or maintaining populations...
The Scottish Agroecology Partnership, comprising eight farming organisations, has seven policy asks to the Scottish Government, including reforms to income support, investment in local food infrastructure, strengthened local food supply chains, dedicated funding for...
A summary of Skye Wind Information Group's June newsletter and other reports. The Highland Council’s objection to the proposals to "Repower and Extend" Ben Aketil Wind Farm triggered a public inquiry which ran from 23 - 27 June in Portree. Nadara, the Italian owners...
by Anne MacLennan Salmon farming is unsustainable according to a report published last month. Aquaculture is the fastest food production system in the world. Farmed fish have outnumbered wild-caught fish since 2022. Seventy percent of salmon are now farmed, with...
The Scottish Land Commission is seeking ideas on what a fully land reformed Scotland could look like, and what it would mean to you. There's a short online form with two main questions: 1. What changes would you like to see in how land is owned and used in Scotland...
The UK government's Department of Health and Social Care had planned to encourage retailers to shift the balance of price promotions towards "minimally processed foods" - which includes fruit, vegetables, beans, whole grains like rice and pasta, and unprocessed meat....
by Anne MacLennan The International Permaculture Festival of Wild Ideas held last month, was an online festival ‘featuring inspiring thinkers, doers and creatives from around the world exploring permaculture and wilding’. As such, it provided inspiration and hope for...
by Anne MacLennan Skye's Scottish Salmon Think-Tank (SST-T) recently joined the Coastal Communities Network, a community-led network of local groups ‘committed to the preservation and safeguarding of Scotland’s coastal and marine environments’. Formed in 2017 with...