The Scottish Government

Living off the Land

Monday, September 24, 2007

Tom Gray says: More allotments for those urban dwellers who appreciate the health giving benefits in both the production and eating of fresh produce. More farms for those who wish to enjoy rural living, engage in food production and subsidise, from off farm income, the priceless lifestyle to be enjoyed there. More opportunity for those youngsters condemned to urban living to not only see and be told how food is produced by those who enjoy producing it, but actually gain the faintest hope that they could one day have the chance to enjoy producing it themselves.

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Comments

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• 11. Kate Richardson - South Queensferry

  Thursday, April 24, 2008 20:24

  I am so impressed by all the blog entries, it should be required reading for all MSP's.
  In regard to Tom's comment on consumers as stakeholders, I only wish they would vote with their feet and give greater support to Farmers Markets and Farm Shops, our local West Craigie Farm sells excellent produce. I am also saddened by the perceived 'need' for ever cheaper food, especially meat, which has impacted greatly upon quality. Our family income is low at the moment as I am a student, yet we prefer to buy smaller amounts of good quality, hopefully local, produce. I also encourage my children to pick their own fruit and veg at the local farm which helps them to both understand and appreciate where their food comes from.

• 12. Donnie Macleod - Inverness

  Friday, April 25, 2008 12:22

  Well said Tom Gray!
  The taxing of the poor in the guise of supporting cheaper food and then actually giving it to the rich is a super con trick.
  Lets get people back to the land and tell the 'not-dirty-hand farmers' to go and do someone else.
  It is easy for the government to subsidise land for allotments instead of subsidising bio-fuel.
  

• 13. Liza Hawthorne - Skye

  Saturday, April 26, 2008 16:45

  I lived in England for a while and the local council had an initiate offering really cheap compost bins to anyone who was inspired to use one! Allotments are great if the weather in the region makes it easy for beginners to have success. Perhaps the local councils could offer cost effective mini polytunnels for enthusiastic home growers in the North!

• 14. Tom Gray - Perthshire

  Tuesday, April 29, 2008 07:37

  By pinpointing the con trick you've hit the nail on the head Donnie.
  This con trick keeps people off the land and turns them away from rural Scotland. As a nation, we reap what we sow!
  Sadly, life's struggles make it unlikely that consumers will rise up in revolt any more than they will reject en masse the convenience of supermarkets in favour of farm shops.
  People respond to what is put before them, as do governments on whom consumers rely.
  A major influence has been the preference of the farming community to study and seek to emmulate the ways of farming in sparsely populated American and antipodean countries where scale of production is key. Rejecting the socially healthy policies of our nearer European neighbours where large portions of the population have close contact with the land and food production is what dumps us at the foot of umpteen EU social league tables on health and welfare.
  Governments have given free rein to supermarkets and have ignored the consequencies of distancing consumers from land and food production.
  A broad discussion and national food policy must surely help.

• 15. Moderator -

  Friday, May 2, 2008 10:07

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