The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) is a charitable organisation that looks to bring farming, the working countryside, and Scotland’s Natural Capital to life for young people. The trust aims to connect Scotland’s youth to the countryside, and give insight into food, farming and countryside management in Scotland. The trust achieves this through a number of key activities, such as farm visits and providing educational resource materials for schools, along with much more.

Ensuring younger generations from both rural and urban communities are aware and understand where and how food is produced, and the countryside is managed, is vitally important in ensuring a thriving rural sector, and appreciation for Scotland’s Natural Capital and its conservation.

Today we are joined by Katrina Barclay from RHET to hear about what their organisation does and why.

Host Harry Fisher, Producer Iain Boyd, Executive Producer Kerry Hammond, Editor Ross Mackenzie.

Timestamps:

1:30 – 5:30 What is RHET and the type work they do

5:34 –7:05 The role that Natural Capital has

7:05 – 33:29 Farming and learning outcomes, benefits for children and the sector.

33:30 – 40:49 Incorporating land use change and sustainability issues.

40:50 - 50:15 How can teachers and farmers get involved

Related FAS Material:

Environment resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

FAS Sounds | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service

Other Related Materials:

The Royal Highland Education Trust | Royal Highland Education Trust (rhet.org.uk)

Food: The Facts | Royal Highland Education Trust (rhet.org.uk)

THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development (un.org)

Good Food Nation - Food and drink - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Disease risk in livestock, and biosecurity is something we perhaps don’t consider as much in crofting areas as farmers might in more intensive systems. Crofting tends to be more extensive, with lower densities of stock, but we often share bulls, and graze on common ground. In this episode I’m joined by Kythe MacKenzie, who is a vet with SRUC, and Kate Lamont, who is a researcher, to discuss the practicalities of managing disease risk.

Linked FAS Resources

Crofting Discussion Groups | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Succession Planning – Crofting | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Crofting Legislation | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

Loch Leven's Larder is an enterprise combination of a farm shop that is supplied by its own home farm. Since 2005, the larder has put community and sustainability at the forefront of its operations, to provide the Loch Leven area a place to enjoy locally sourced healthy food in a relaxed atmosphere with views of the land that produced their food, and the Loch Leven landscape at large.

Loch Leven's Larder looks to utilise the natural capital in their area in a way that enhances biodiversity, stimulates local economy, provide space for local community, while maintaining a healthy business that thrives through diversification. Today we are speaking with Robin from Loch Leven's Larder, to discuss their story and how understanding, utilising and enhancing natural capital has shaped their business and provides opportunity for their future.

Host: Harry Fisher, Producer: Iain Boyd, Executive Producer: Kerry Hammond