Community Food Growing

Follow initiatives across the Scottish Borders in supporting communities to champion food growing in their area

Naomi Sweeney

What is Community Food Growing?

Community food growing comes is many guises, including but not only;

  • Community gardens
  • Community orchards
  • Allotments
  • ‘Garden share / Lend and tend’ schemes
  • Guerrilla Gardeners
  •  Incredible Edible  

Cultivating Communities

Scottish Borders Council launched ‘ Cultivating Communities ’ in March 2021 as the region’s first ever Community Food Growing Strategy.

In recognition of the importance of supporting community food growing as part of our commitment to Community Wealth Building, our Greenspace Programme Officer has specific remit of supporting the delivery of the Community Food Growing Strategy and creating a network of Community Food Growers in the Scottish Borders.

What's Been Happening?

During 2022/23 we have:

  • Delivered 2,720 hours of volunteering work in the Wilton Lodge Park Walled Garden
  • Installed a fantastic new glasshouse facility, seating, cold frames, wildflower planting and fruit trees as part of the community garden
  • Expanded our dedicated resource to support the community food growing agenda
  • Continued to develop partnership working with Community Engagement Officers across all 5 locality areas
  • Assisted with 6 funding bids across Scottish Borders communities, enabling community orchards, community gardens and 3 rd  sector projects
  • Given evidence relating to allotment management and community food growing initiatives at the Scottish Parliament’s Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee Inquiry
  • Won a national award for our Grow Borders Network
  • Developed a brand new  ‘Cultivating Communities’ award, specifically to recognise the work of community food growing projects as part of Scottish Borders Council’s Greener Gateway Community Awards
  • Provided 53 tonnes of compost to 13 community gardens, as part of our Community Benefits scheme
  • Advised and supported community learning exchanges for two community gardens
  • Hosted 4 Scottish Borders Community Food Growers Network Meetings
  • Published 12 Community Food Growing Newsletters

 

Grow Borders Network

There was a need for community growing projects to feel more connected and have a place to come together to share best practice and to discuss the wider needs of community growing.

Guidance and resources for anyone who is interested in starting, or already running, a community food growing project are available, and the Grow Borders Network connects groups and individuals with peer support.

The Grow Borders Network currently meets online every quarter, with monthly newsletters sharing case studies, events, funding opportunities and relevant growing information. The Network is also supported via a dedicated online forum, managed by the Greenspace Programme Officer, to share resources throughout the year.

The Network is growing monthly, with new community growing projects requesting to join or requesting to be added to the mailing list to keep up to date with our newsletter.

Newsletters

Scottish Borders Council publishes a regular newsletter to keep communities up to date with activity across the region as well as information on funding opportunities.

You can access the latest and back catalogue of newsletters here.

Contact

If you want to discuss a community food growing idea or project, get support or subscribe to our newsletter please contact  communityfoodgrowing@scotborders.gov.uk 

Content prepared by Scottish Borders Council as part of the support structure for the Place Programme and Place Making initiatives being undertaken by community working groups across the region.

Further information on the principles of Place Making, as well as additional tools and resources can be found on the Scottish Government  Our Place  website.

©Scottish Borders Council 2023