Porridge power will boost healthy eating
THE power of porridge will be used to help East Renfrewshire schoolkids learn about ecological food production and healthy eating.
Propagate Scotland – a workerled collective specialising in sustainable food initiatives – has been awarded funding for an innovative project that will see pupils from local secondary schools working with organic farmers as part of home economics lessons.
Youngsters will be able to visit local farms to learn about healthy soils and how this relates to growing healthier crops.
They will also be involved in the growing and harvesting of oats through hands-on activities.
The project, dubbed ‘Porridge Power,’ aims to join the dots between healthy soils, growing nutrient-dense food, cooking skills, healthier eating and local supply chains.
Harvested oats will be donated to the schools, which will then organise the milling process.
Pupils will use the finished product in cooking skills workshops and will be supported to market and retail their products.
The project, which will also be rolled out to schools in Dumfries and Galloway, is being funded through a £5,000 grant from charitable organisation Williamson Trust and the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) as part of the Healthy Planet, Healthy People scheme.
Abi Mordin, strategic lead for Propagate, said: “We’re really excited to have been awarded funding to kickstart this project.
“We’ll be working with young people and farmers to celebrate the power of porridge.
“Oat production used to be widespread in Scotland but has been replaced by primarily livestock and dairy production.
“We want to explore and celebrate mixed and diverse farming systems and involve young people in not just the production of oats but looking at innovative and new products which can be made and marketed locally.
“This systems approach ticks every box – ecological food production, involving people and communities, healthy food and local supply chains.”