Grantee: Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust

Duration:  24 months (January 2026 – January 2028) 

 

Background

Modern agricultural practices rely on uniform varieties of crops, that are often genetically identical. This is dangerous from a food production perspective – for example the Irish Potato Famine was due to a reliance on a single variety of potato. A lack of genetic diversity also has negative impacts the wider ecosystem – limiting the variety of habitat for soil organisms, with knock on effects for insects and birds.

Increasing the use of genetically diverse food crops (also known as landrace crops) is therefore a way to increase the resilience of both food production and wider ecosystems.

The Project

Seedshed Sutherland is an exciting new project led by the Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust. Through identifying and growing landrace crops, the project will make biodiverse seed available to distribute locally.

Firstly, a number of vegetables will be selected, such as Sutherland Kale, Shetland Kale, genetic mixes of beetroot, leek, onion, cabbage, carrots, neeps, squashes. These landraces will be grown in a dedicated seed garden, then harvested and transported to a storage area.

Seeds will have a shelf live of several years, meaning the project will grow different landraces every year while maintaining a healthy supply of previous years’ seed.

Seed distribution will focus on community growers – both individuals and groups. An education programme will also produce booklets and free training courses to raise awareness and incentivise the growing of landrace crops.

The increase in genetically diverse food crops will have positive outcomes on biodiversity, while also fostering greater awareness of, and capacity for, nature friendly growing.