After the well-attended and well-received Basic Seed Production Training Day in Newton Dee this summer (see report on this website) and a seed saving workshop on the Black Isle in September, a third training was given, aiming at comercial growers and seed savers in the Central Belt last Saturday, the 3rd of November at the Cyrenian Farm in Kirknewton near Edinburgh. This event was jointly organised by Common Good Food, the Cyrenians and Seed Sovereignty Programme in Scotland.
Uptake in Kirknewton was excellent, with some of the larger commercial players in organic vegetable production from Glasgow and West and East Lothian, organic growers from Dundee, community growers from Granton, Sterling and Cupar, and others. There was a keen interest not only in the technical aspects of seed production but also in the economics and potential for business diversification as well as in starting seed sharing groups.
The seed programme in Scotland has been energised during the last few days, by those attending but also by growers who could not make it because of work and who expressed their interest in further developing seed growing in Scotland.
From the feedback: “Having been to another 2 more workshops previously, this really helped to deepen and consolidate my knowledge” “Great advice on the nitty-gritty & technical points” ““We got a lot of info in a few hours which was great”
