The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Spring in my step put there by enthusiasm of a student
H Stillow I catch up with the world has changed over the years. in my mix is the good old-fashioned TV news alongside downloaded digital newspapers and articles on social media.
This week, I came across It’s Takeover Time on the Instagram page for Women In Agriculture Scotland (WIAS).
Vicki, a fourth-year agriculture student, was posting live updates and taking questions from her lambing night shift during her stint running the organisation’s Takeover Tuesday session which sees a different woman sharing a day in their farming life with the public.
Vicki’s passion came shining through – despite the lack of sleep.
She took us on a tour of the lambing and calving pens, lambed a triplet which was later twinned on, sooked newborn lambs and all the while tunes played in the background – all before six in the morning.
Her enthusiasm was enough to get me out of bed with a spring in my step.
Agriculture needs more strong communicators and storytellers like Vicki.
Well done, WIAS, for this refreshing approach. Throughout the pandemic, they’ve been running various online events, offering development opportunities and engaging with women right across rural Scotland.
The organisation was formed before the Scottish Government set up the Women in Agriculture Task Force, which I was involved in.
It tackled the issues raised in the Women in
Farming and Agriculture report 2017, and one of our key recommendations was training targeted specifically at the needs of women.
It was controversial to some as it focused on women, but that was the specific area we were asked to look at.
The Scottish Government’s practical training for women in agriculture and women in rural economy provides
100% funding of up to £500 for eligible courses, and funds courses that cost more than that on a caseby-case basis.
The funds give all women a real opportunity to improve their skills or retrain.
This is time-limited support, so if you haven’t applied yet, get in touch with Lantra Scotland before March 30 to find out more and get the right course to help you.
This is training that meets the needs of women in a constructive environment.
I know from personal experience the feeling of imposter syndrome as you enter a room and feel like you don’t belong.
It’s certainly been a barrier to me attending training or knowledge transfer events.
The feeling of being judged by our peers and exposing unseen difficulties
can be terrifying. I can’t spell. Despite the best efforts of various teachers over the years, I’d be totally lost without my computer’s spellcheck.
A couple of years ago, I attended a training day. In a breakout session, one of the organisers handed me a pen and told me I was to be scribe for my group.
I panicked and said that I had a hospital appointment and I couldn’t wait, so someone else
should take over writing duties.
I should have just admitted that I couldn’t spell but the whole experience highlighted to me why we need to ensure we have sympathetic training providers, meeting all needs, no matter the gender, age or ability.
the
R foodegenerative agriculture could offer the silver bullet to balancing production with tackling climate change.
That was the message from Natasha Smith, a policy analyst at rural land agency Savills, speaking at an online seminar on the practice earlier this week.
She said agriculture was seen as both a villain and a hero against the backdrop of a global agenda to tackle climate change and reduce emissions; however, regenerative agricultural practices could offer a solution to this.
“Regenerative agriculture is not simple, but in its broadest terms it’s a farming approach which aims to work with natural systems to restore and enhance biodiversity,” said Ms Smith.
“Soil health is the focal point that ties regenerative systems together and Scotland’s net-zero by 2045 target will be a key driver for action across the industry.”
She said the five core
principles of regenerative agriculture are: to minimise soil disturbance; to keep the soil covered and build its organic matter; to maintain living roots all year round; to integrate livestock; and to maximise species diversity.
Perthshire farmer Alex Brewster, who operates a regenerative agriculture system at Rotmell Farm, said putting less, rather than more, on to the land had paid dividends for him.
He said: “The more you push on to the soil and the more chemicals and pesticides that you apply, the more you need and hence the bigger more-on you become. But the less you do, the greater the impact you have per hectare and the more you are getting back.
“I’m choosing the best of both worlds where you can be sustainable, regenerate soils and have a fully functional livestock system.”
Mr Brewster said he was focused on building organic matter into his soil, as a 1% increase in soil organic matter can sequester nine tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare.
He urged anyone interested in adopting a more regenerative approach to farming to have a clear plan of what they want to achieve, and to start small with 10-15% of their land so they don’t overwhelm themselves.
Meanwhile, Savills has launched a new natural capital service to help farmers and landowners protect and enhance their natural assets, while also reducing and mitigating the impact of their business on the environment.