Planting to Plate
Introduction
The principal aim of the Highland Year of Culture 2007 was ‘to promote the Highlands as a great place to live and visit by showcasing the unique and special nature of Highland culture in the past, present and future’.
By involving schoolchildren and crofters in the Planting to Plate project, an opportunity was created to encourage healthy eating and to celebrate the important role of local food production and traditional cultivation methods as an integral part of that culture. The project encouraged the children to be more active and strongly promotes all four aspects of Curriculum for Excellence.
Drew Ratter, Convener, Crofters Commission, commented on the scope of the project:
'I’m delighted that during the Year of Highland Culture this project has enabled schools to teach children about crofting. They’ve had hands-on experience of growing food, from preparing ground through to tasting the results of their work. These children are developing pride in the history and culture of their communities, as well as becoming discerning consumers of fresh, healthy, locally produced food. This can only be good for the future of crofting.'
Project type
The key points were:
raising awareness of and developing practical skills in growing food through links with local food producers
promoting an understanding of healthy eating and the benefits of locally grown food
encouraging responsible citizenship through a deeper understanding of the local environment, history and culture
celebrating the place of locally produced food in Highland culture through growing crops and preparing and sampling the food.
Who was involved?
The Crofters Commission; The Scottish Crofting Foundation; Soil Association Scotland; Highland Council; CSV Action4Sustainability; Scottish Health Promoting Schools Unit and schools and their communities in Highland, Shetland and the Western Isles. The project was co-ordinated by Pam Rodway of Soil Association Scotland.
The project involved pupils of a range of abilities, including some with special needs, from 5 to 15 years old, from four widely dispersed schools in the Highlands and Islands (see location map of schools below).
Kilchoan Primary School, Lochaber, Highland - this is a small school in Ardnamurchan. All nine pupils on the school roll, aged 5 to 10 years, were involved.
Sgoil nan Loch, Lewis, Western Isles - all 11 pupils, aged 9 to 10 years, in the composite Primary 5/6 class, participated; the school caters for 107 pupils from nursery to S2.
Farr School, Sutherland, Highland - 14 pupils, aged 11 to 12 years, were involved as part of their transition programme from primary to secondary school; the school roll of 147 includes pupils from nursery to S6.
Whalsay Junior High School, Whalsay, Shetland - the 10 pupils, aged 14 to 15 years, from S3/4 were involved as part of their SQA Rural Skills course; Whalsay School is the only school on the island and serves 185 pupils from nursery to S4.
The four schools are located in peripheral areas of the Highlands and Islands with challenging landscapes and climate. All have a long history of settlement, have been affected by outward movement of people and now have widely dispersed populations.
As the map shows, the four pilot schools are widely dispersed; their geographical location, environment and, therefore, their local crofting practices, produce and cultural traditions differ from each other. However, in all four schools the project created an opportunity for active, outdoor education through the pupils’ involvement in all stages of production and in related exploration of the local environment.
