Scottish Borders Food Growing Strategy

Overview

Would you like to or are you already growing your own fruit and vegetables close to where you live or work? We want to hear from you.

We are developing a Food Growing Strategy for the Scottish Borders and we need local people to tell us why, where and how they would like to be growing their own food.

If you are growing already - you could be a member of a community garden, a garden volunteer with the local school or an allotment plot holder - then we would like to hear from you.

If you are not growing anything (apart from maybe weeds in your own garden!) but you would like to give it a try - then we would also like to hear from you.

Why your views matter

Background

The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act of 2015 requires each local authority to prepare a Food Growing Strategy for its area.

The strategy should aim to identify land that may be used as allotment sites, identify other areas of land that could be used for community growing, and describe how the authority intends to increase provision for community growing, in particular in areas which experience socio-economic disadvantage.  

The Act places a duty upon councils, but we are aware that community growing also supports health, education and social inclusion and we want to be sure to develop a strategy that facilitates all forms of community growing and removes any possible barriers.

What happens next

Your information will help to shape the draft strategy by letting us know how you grow, or if you want to grow. 

The draft Food Growing Strategy will see further consultation carried out with communities and stakeholders.

This draft is expected to be launched in early 2020.