Youth

Four young farmers and crofters have been appointed to champion a cultural and behavioural shift towards low-carbon, environmentally sustainable farming in Scotland.

The Young Farmer Climate Change Champions will work through peer-to-peer learning to highlight how farmers can improve efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce costs, and enhance the sustainability of their businesses.

Rural Affairs Minister Mairi Gougeon made the announcement, which was a Programme for Government commitment, while visiting one of the champions’ croft in the Cairngorms.

Youth Theatre Arts Scotland Interchange Event

Building on the success of their previous Interchange events, YTAS will be working in partnership with Perth Theatre for Interchange 2019.

This year’s event offers in-depth masterclasses and workshops providing a collaborative learning experience. Participants will have the opportunity to apply their new skills with fellow delegates and members of Perth Theatre’s Young Company. The Lab, a weekend-long creative programme, offers practitioners the space to experiment, play and explore a specific art-form.

The 2019 Scotland's Finest Woods Award are open for entries.

This year's awards programme is the biggest ever, with the Farm Woodland category expanded and a unique one-off award to celebrate the centenary of the 1919 Forestry Act.

Scotland's Finest Woods Awards highlight all that is best in Scotland’s management of its woods and forests, and showcase how they contribute to the wealth and well-being of Scotland’s people. 

The 2019 Awards are:

The Orkney islands of Westray and Papa Westray were among the winners in this year's SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration.

A new report has found that an increased number of young people want to live and work in the Highlands and Islands.

During the summer, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) carried out a survey of people aged 15-30 on their attitudes and aspirations with more than 3,000 taking part. This follows on from a previous study in 2015.

New Entrants to Farming: Farm Diversification, Marketing & Adding Value (Angus)

The next instalment of the Angus New Entrants group will be a workshop based on diversfificaion within a farm business.  With margins tight on farm it is an ideal time to think about other options for diversifying that will work alongside the main business.  This meeting is aimed at new entrants to farming who would like to know about where to start if considering diversification or how to develop an idea into a product.

Fourteen projects across the UK have been awarded a share of more than £300,000 in the latest round of funding from the Prince's Countryside Fund.

The Scottish Crofting Federation held a two-day diversification conference and workshops in Rothes, Moray, on 5 and 6 October.

In a new initiative by the Scottish Government, young people will have the chance to learn where their food comes from, how it gets from farm to fork, and raise their awareness of Scotland’s rural economy.

The Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment, Mairi Gougeon, recently attended West Craigie Farm near Queensferry with pupils from Queensferry Primary School. She said: 

A new rural university will be created in Scotland within the next four years by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), who have said that they are moving into full higher education with a faculty-based model.

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