Story of soil fertility all set to go back on the shelves
A local environmental group is launching a reprint of a book detailing the short history of soil fertility and composting in Lochaber, writes Fiona Scott.
Lochaber Environmental Group (LEG) will be releasing The Spirit of the Soil at the Highland Bookshop on Friday March 31 at 6.30pm.
It was some 20 years ago that LEG undertook a project looking into traditional practices in Lochaber to enhance soil fertility. The group has been promoting the take-up of home composting for over 25 years.
In recognition of this, LEG began to ask questions about how our ancestors managed when self-reliance was a matter of survival.
From these questions a project was born and John Wombell was tasked with researching and writing a booklet. From this The Spirit of the Soil was published in 2003.
Susan Carstairs, board member of Lochaber Environmental Group, said: “LEG is keen to learn more about the links between historical use of resources in Lochaber and our present predicament. The booklet gives an account of the history of farming and crofting in the area and draws on the experience of local gardeners and crofters to learn about the maintenance of healthy soil.
“The question of sustainability and self-reliance is still relevant today, perhaps more so with the recent changes to climate and weather, with many more extreme events. “The current vegetable shortage is just another signal that we do need to become more self-reliant and looking for produce that is in season.”
The reprint has been made possible through the
Highland Community Waste Partnership, via the National Lottery Community Fund, driven by eight established community groups, including Lochaber Environmental Group, and is coordinated by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful.
Tickets for the launch are £2 (redeemable against any books purchased on the evening) and are available from www. highlandbookshop.com/ events.
The book itself will retail for £5 and will be available from the Highland Bookshop in Fort William and Lochaber Environmental Group, with other outlets in the pipeline.