Farm Carbon Toolkit – Orkney
Awarded: £3,620
Farm Carbon Toolkit staff will travel to Orkney to meet with farmers and other relevant organisations and then workshop the shape of a new Farm Net Zero programme for the island. This will enable stakeholders on Orkney to benefit from the learnings from Farm Net Zero in Cornwall. Project partners are the University of the Highlands and Islands, the local authority and agricultural organisations such as the Orkney Agricultural Society.
There are 1,900 farms on Orkney with a significant population of beef cattle (39,000 suckler cows [3% total UK numbers]) and hence there is significant scope through farming practice change to reduce livestock-associated emissions. In addition there are two distilleries on Orkney with the opportunity to explore potential emissions reduction associated with peat extraction and whisky production.
Key findings
● With our support it was agreed that the communities would be able to go ahead with the development of an island-wide proposal to support a net zero transition for agriculture
● There is significant benefit in ensuring that EDI is fully considered alongside ensuring stakeholder interaction when working on the development of ideas prior to starting to develop any proposal
● The EU Living Lab model is well established and will be invaluable as an approach for this element within the plans for Orkney.
Recommendations
● Carry out further research into the benefits of the Living Lab approach to share within the network and beyond
● Complete the EOI and submit this to the National Lottery as soon after Christmas as possible.
The visit of Farm Carbon Toolkit to Orkney was truly inspirational and the opportunity to discuss their experiences face to face was invaluable. Our remote location so often prevents us from having the opportunity to meet in person and build the trust and relationships necessary to deliver future success. Farm Carbon Toolkit were a catalyst in our community coming together to address difficult issues and prepare to take action on Climate Change and we look forward to progressing further projects into the future.
