Environment

Soil Association are looking for new Field Lab ideas to test new farming approaches, share best practice and solve problems.

Field Labs bring agricultural research directly to the field and the shed, bringing farmers and growers together with a researcher and a dedicated facilitator to focus on your own research questions. Field Labs in Scotland are free to attend and open to all farmers and growers, not just organic ones.

A new Action Plan for organic food and farming in Scotland from 2016 to 2020 has been launched.

"Organic Ambitions: Scotland’s Organic Action Plan 2016 – 2020" aims to help organic food and farming build a more sustainable future, regenerate the rural economy and conserve biodiversity and natural resources.

The Action Plan identifies the key challenges facing the development of Scottish organic food and the actions required to address them.

The Climate Challenge Fund is now open for applications.

Climate Change Minister Aileen McLeod has confirmed the fund will continue for another year, after it was allocated £10.3 million in the Scottish Government’s Draft Budget 2016-17.

Community groups across Scotland are now being invited to apply for a share of over £10 million to promote action against climate change.

Dr McLeod said:

Over 100 people from across rural Perthshire braved the snow and ice to attend the launch of the Rural Perth & Kinross LEADER programme on 14 January. 

After a spot of networking at the various stands the meeting commenced with the Local Action Group Chair, with Jackie Brierton speaking passionately about the opportunities that the Local Development Strategy offers in terms of stronger networking, collaboration, a well connected sustainable local economy with communities coming together.

A public consultation on a strategy to protect pollinating insects in Scotland is currently being run by Scottish Natural Heritage.

Scotland’s pollinators include the honey bee, bumble bees, solitary bees, wasps, hoverflies, other flies, beetles, butterflies and moths. There are concerns that environmental pressures are leading to declines in the number, diversity and geographic range of pollinators.

The Gathering 2016

The Gathering is Scotland’s largest event for charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations. It’s free and everyone’s welcome.

Organised every year by SCVO, it’s a place for people working in the third sector to network, showcase what they do and learn from each other. It’s also a great opportunity for anyone who is interested in finding out more about the third sector to come along and get involved. There’s a bustling exhibition and marketplace with over 100 exhibitors, and a packed programme featuring more than 60 workshops, seminars and training sessions.

Scottish Smallholding and Grower Festival 2016

Now in it's fifth year, the Festival has something for everyone interested in smallholding in Scotland. With shows of sheep, goats, pigs and poultry and waterfowl and cattle breed societies, and with a focus on rare and traditional breeds, it's a great place to meet breeders and make connections. There's also trade stands and craft exhibitors; a Garden, Craft and Food competition; rural skills demonstrations and a programme of fifteen talks to inform, inspire and educate.

#ruralhour Climate Change

#ruralhour is an hour-long Twitter discussion run by the Scottish Rural Parliament. 

This #ruralhour discussion is on the topic of ‘managing the effects of climate change’ in rural Scotland

Questions:

Applications are now being accepted for a new grant scheme to support green community groups and environmental projects.

The funding from the Postcode Local Trust will encourage lasting benefits by bringing people together to improve local ecology and habitats, encourage biodiversity and benefit the wider environment.

Over 200 people recently attended events on the new Environmental Co-operation Action Fund in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness.

The Environmental Co-operation Action Fund is a new £10 million scheme which is part of the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP).  The purpose of this new competitive fund is to encourage the development and delivery of landscape scale environmental projects by paying facilitators to initiate and enable co-ordinated environmental actions on multiple land holdings in a project area.

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