But crop pairing to enable two or more crops to flourish side by side and yield a better crop than when grown alone is not revolutionary. Intercropping was common in Scotland in past decades, the most traditional with oats and pea or beans grown together - an early intercrop known as a “mashlum”. “This wet-sounding combination was said to provide better stability of yield in bad years, and have a higher protein content than oats alone, and was first reported here as far back as the 1440s.” The preference for single cropping year after year on the same land - intensive farming with the sole purpose of maximising yields - is largely blamed as lying at the very heart of many of the environmental problems associated with modern agriculture. Concerns over food security are adding huge pressure on Governments to look for alternative solutions. Mix in a serious shortage of critical fertilisers – such as phosphorous and potassium – and how synthetic nitrogen fertiliser production is considered hugely energy-intensive and a major contributor to GHG emissions, and how a war in Europe is spiking energy prices and leaving global food supply chains at breaking point, we now have a multi-directional perfect storm in the agricultural sector that has intensified the need for agroecologists and farmers to work together to develop and trial urgent solutions. Two key international research projects we were involved in are called “TRUE” (Transition Paths to Sustainable Legume-based Systems in Europe) and DIVERSify (Designing InnoVative plant teams for Ecosystem Resilience and agricultural Sustainability). These sister projects looked at ways of increasing legume growing in Europe, including intercropping. This can greatly increase farm biodiversity and create a more diverse landscape for animals, as well as more diverse food crops. A unique attribute of legumes is their ability to act as natural fertilisers, absorbing nitrogen from the air and adding it to soil in a usable form through their roots. Good for farmers and for the environment, natural fertilisers can reduce the need for synthetic ones. Working with farmers in Scotland, the Hutton is also blazing a trail in demonstrating how intercropping with legumes can create new and diverse sources of income. We helped the Stirling family - fourth generation farmers in Arbikie in Angus – create the world’s first carbonneutral, climate-positive gin, Nadar. The clear spirit - now served in London’s Savoy hotel and other top hotels and bars around the world - is made from peas, and includes juniper, lemongrass and citrus leaf botanicals, all grown together on their own farm. Less glamorous, but equally important, the leftover pea residue is used as animal feed. A shift to hybrid working practices following the Covid-19 pandemic has led to some people swapping city living for country life. Now an international project will explore the scale, and pros and cons, of urban migration into rural, island and coastal communities across the globe. The project, by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and The James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen, will look at how increased migration to rural and island areas offers opportunities for the future sustainability of these communities. It will also look at the challenges they face in adapting to a period of rapid change. The project, which has been awarded nearly £20,000 by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, will bring together researchers from across the world, including Japan and Turkey, to share evidence and identify emerging policy and practice. Co-Investigator Ruth Wilson, Social Scientist at The James Hutton Institute, said: “Our research in Scotland during the Covid-19 pandemic showed an increase in demand for rural and island properties. This was prompted by moves to home working, but also widespread reassessment of life and work priorities. This brings unprecedented opportunities for communities in these areas, but also huge challenges. “This new network will bring together international expertise to understand how these trends are evolving in different places and what this means for rural and island communities across the globe.” Lead researcher Jane Atterton, Manager and Policy Researcher at SRUC’s Rural Policy Centre, said: “There is increasing evidence from different countries that the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a new wave of urban migrants in search of rural, island or coastal living, motivated by access to open space and dispersed populations, and facilitated by a shift to hybrid working practices and improved digital connectivity. “This project aims to build a strong, collaborative and sustainable international research network to understand these new migration patterns and their implications.” Outputs from the project will be shared on SRUC’s Rural Exchange web portal which was set up last year to gather and host large-scale citizen science information. Escape to the country June 2023 23
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