About Us
How did this project come about
Knoydart is a remote community. Part of the mainland but not connected to the road network. It’s either a two/three day hike in or a ferry trip from Mallaig – which itself is nearly an hour outside Fort William at the end of the road. Knoydart is a resourceful place, but in 2020 it became apparent that it is over reliant on the food logistics chain that flows and ends up at Mallaig – before then making an extra hop over here. Couple this with growing awareness of chemically grown fruit and veg and it’s negatives. Plus the carbon footprint of bringing produce all this way then sending the waste back over on the ferry, it wasn’t he hardest thing to see that Knodyart could benefit from locally produced, organic, healthy food. And so the idea of Knoydart Farm was born.
Residents
Farmers
Volunteers
Visitors
Our Story
Why are we doing this?
- Severe weather conditions can disrupt supply
- Transportation costs are high for some- especially with the current cost of living crisis
- Goods can arrive smashed, cardboard boxes soggy and disintegrating
- Residents need to pick up goods from the pier mostly by vehicle, further increasing the carbon footprint. Those without vehicles have to purchase smaller amounts more regularly, increasing the packaging required and carbon footprint.
- High number of food miles for a community committed to environmental sensitivity.
- Packaging waste needs to be transported back
- Visitors and tourists can find it difficult to plan ahead
What are the outside influences?
Political – the political landscape in Scotland is fairly stable with the same party in power for over a decade. However, with an independence referendum on the horizon and political instability across many of the countries that supply food to Scotland this may not continue. As recently as March 2022, the NFU has asked the Scottish and UK governments to address the risk of political unrest in the food chain.
Economic – the price for supplies of seed and feed to farmers has increased by 50% since March 2021. The UK’s insistence of leaving the European Union coupled with supply problems from the Ukraine and surrounding areas means that pressure is mounting on the UK government to subsidise purchases. However, they have so far resisted any support.
Sociological – As more and more of the population become aware of the prevalence of chemically grown food, pressure and opportunity is mounting on the food production industry to abandon chemical practices and adopt an organic approach. The habits of consumers are changing but becoming more polarised with a percentage of people adopting an “on demand” model, mainly in the cities. Whereas in rural areas the population is more accepting of a model that encourages local, sustainable, organic produce.
Technological – The technology available to traditional farmers has exploded recently. However, there has been a trend to abandon polluting machinery in favour of human and animal based methods. Online, platforms now available make it easier to manage and order from a variety of sources, making it easier for the consumer. Electric power is rapidly replacing fossil fuels as the means to power machinery.
Legal – There is a definite trend across the globe in banning chemical fertilizers, however the UK has bucked this trend and abandoned EU laws that set food and farming standards. With legal requirements to be brought in that make it harder to be branded “Organic” there is a definite threat to organic growers entering the marketplace.
Environmental – The food chain is at its most vulnerable within the environmental context. Whether it is grain from eastern Europe, or fruit from the Balerics, the environment is becoming more extreme and pushing the current chain to its limits.
All of these factors point to more local control of our food chain and for more local production. The World Health Organisation, in 2020, stated that local food production can save us from climate disaster.
Different stages of the project
This project is multifaceted and can be broken down into the following areas.
- Food production
- Participation
- Learning and Wellbeing
It is not the intention for the Farm to produce everything at once, nor may it ever do. We will start small, to make sure we get each building block right and build momentum from there. The project has therefore been considered in phases and stages:
Food production (Objective 1 and 2)
Stage 1 – Initial Integrated design including the first elements of the project.
Stage 1 – Rent an area of land for food production.
Stage 1 – Regular food boxes for the local community (Knoydart and surround area) working with other producers.
Stage 2 – Possible small scale animal husbandry as part of an integrated food system.
Stage 3 – Possible small scale dairy production
Participation (Objective 3 and 4)
Stage 1 – Visitor participation
Stage 2 – Minority groups participation
Stage 3 – Online participation and interaction
Learning and Wellbeing (Objective 2, 3 and 4)
Stage 1 – Learning facility created
Stage 1 – Space for people to “be” within the farm space
Stage 2 – Learning experiences based on the building of the farm
Stage 2 – Learning based on further production
Team
Meet Our Farmers
We’re a modest bunch who know that we know nothing. But we’re as enthusiastic and energetic as a bunch of puppies in a rubber ball factory.
Reagan
Reagan is a veterinary surgeon who has worked in both small and large animal practices. She started her veterinary career in Galloway which is home to a quarter of all Scotland’s cattle. She founded and ran Herbal Vet Scotland, Scotland’s first holistic veterinary practice with her twin sister. This gave her experience in running a business, managing a team and honing her skills in veterinary herbal medicine, acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine and nutrition. Reagan is passionate about medicinal plants. Living on Knoydart, Reagan works with the Knoydart Foundation and is passionate about bringing her two young sons up to appreciate where good, clean, chemical free, food comes from. Reagan is interested in biodiversity and food security. She would love to see the remote peninsula of Knoydart be self-sufficient in organic food. A mother of two young boys, Reagan believes that all children should know where their food comes from and is excited about the potential of the farm to interact with the local schools, providing a space for education from an early age.
Craig
Experience in business having been a director of a successful outdoor activities company for 13 years. A varied and successful career in outdoor activities, running a nationwide company and also in consultative roles, he brings additional business knowledge to the team. Couple this with his experience in community projects and his Permaculture qualification, he has a strong personal interest in sustainable, organic food production. Craig is Operations Manager for the Knoydart Foundation where he has overseen growth from seven to seventeen employees.
He has also volunteered at four similar ventures to this proposal and visited double that in researching how Knoydart Farm could be successful.
Sam
…has worked for over 30 years in the horticultural / agricultural industries, across a wide range of roles, including Head Gardener, and Community Gardener here on Knoydart. He has worked extensively in Scotland, France and England. Sam believes in fulfillment, mentally, physically and spiritually in all his work practices and outcomes. Organic methods come naturally to him!
Combined with his experience teaching adults, leading residential workshops and guiding / looking after folk on their travels, makes Sam an ideal individual to be part of the team to set up and establish Knoydart Farm as a successful, contemporary food producer.
Sam often questions common materials and methods, sometimes seeking to improve long established working ways, and use more appropriate resources. He believes in inclusivity and enjoyment in both work and play: the voice of the humblest volunteer will be heard, and every visitor’s wishes will count. Produce will be evaluated for its quality, before quantity.
Ben
Benjamin has had a varied career in business, farming and academia. He has managed two family-owned recycling and waste management businesses, one of which was the only mattress recycling option in the UK. In farming, Ben has run the family smallholding producing crops of courgettes and tomatoes for sale and the UKs first commercial crop of olives. His interest in farming has remained and he has gathered many skills in food crop production and farm animal husbandry over the last 10 years in Ireland and Scotland. As an academic Ben has achieved a PhD in environmental chemistry/engineering and continues in his research in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department of Strathclyde University. His work here is focused on producing biofuel grass crops on or marginal lands (Horizon 2020 EU funded). As a father of two children, Ben is very keen to see the Knoydart Farm be successful in the long term; creating jobs, meeting the challenges of the cost-of-living crisis and growing good healthy fresh food which is currently very difficult to obtain locally.
Stay In Contact
It's always cool to hear from folks. We have a limited number of volunteer opportunities, you can camp at the Knoydart Foundation campsite and come volunteer during your stay, or wild camp near to the Farm. If you want to have a blether, then we're happy for you to drop us a note as well.
Address
Millburn Field East, Inverie, Knoydart, PH41 4PL