Allotments guidance for local authorities: consultation

9. Goals of the food-growing strategy

9.1 In order to achieve this strategy, we need everyone to be on board. We need a joined up approach, connecting those wishing to grow their own with those in a position to provide opportunities to do so.

9.2 The Scottish Government's Vision for National Wellbeing, set out in the National Performance Framework, ^[16] sets out 11 National Outcomes together with a suite of National Indicators and UN Sustainable Development Goals which set out how the National Outcomes will be achieved.

9.3 The framework seeks to build a more successful and inclusive Scotland and sets out the way in which progress towards it can be measured. It sets out a vision for national wellbeing in Scotland across a range of economic, social and environmental factors.

9.4 The goals of each local authority's food-growing strategy (set out in bold below) will work towards aiding the achievement of some of the Scottish Government's National Outcomes, and National Indicators and UN Sustainable Development Goals, as set out in the National Performance Framework, such as:

• We are healthy and active;
• We value, enjoy, protect and enhance our environment;
• We live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe.

9.5 Over the next 5 years we expect local authorities, through their food-growing strategies, to achieve the following key goals which will meet a number of National Outcomes and National Indicators and UN Sustainable Development Goals:

1. Local authorities will underpin the National Outcome We are healthy and active by:

• Taking steps to make food growing opportunities available to all residents of Scotland to improve their health and wellbeing;
• Helping to alleviate food poverty and raising awareness about the benefits of food growing to mental and physical well-being through public engagement and encouraging uptake of food-growing opportunities.

This underpins a number of the We are healthy and active National Indicators, including mental wellbeing, healthy weight, and physical activity.

2. Local authorities will underpin the National Outcome We value, enjoy and protect our environment by:

• Providing opportunities for local production of food through community growing which will reduce carbon mileage of food;
• Encouraging biodiversity, and improving soil condition and carbon retention in the soil through appropriate allotment site design and management

Authorities should be careful to avoid negative impacts, for example by the excessive removal of existing pollinator species or hedgerows, loss of ponds or wetland areas, creation of hard-standing parking areas etc. Local authorities should take appropriate site-specific steps to limit such negative environmental impacts.

This underpins a number of the We value, enjoy, protect and enhance our environment National Indicators, including visits to the outdoors, waste generated, biodiversity, climate action, and life on land.

3. Local authorities will underpin the National Outcome We live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe by;

• Making all of Scotland's local authority allotment sites well managed, accessible and community empowered with quality facilities, as far as is practicable;
• Making the supply of allotment and other food-growing sites transparent to all and compliant with the provisions of the Act;
• Encouraging community-led enterprise and/or social enterprise through making available and encouraging uptake of food-growing opportunities.

This underpins a number of the We live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe National Indicators, including perceptions of local area, loneliness, access to green space, and social capital.

Question 19 Are paragraphs 9.1 to 9.5 of the FGS statutory guidance clear and understandable, to allow the local authority to deliver its statutory obligations under Part 9?

Yes
No

If no, i.e. you consider that the guidance is not clear and understandable, please tell us why you think this, and how it needs to be improved. Please include the relevant paragraph numbers in your response.

Question 19 comments:

Question 20 Are there any gaps or omissions in paragraphs 9.1 to 9.5 of the FGS statutory guidance?

Yes
No

If yes, i.e. you consider that there are gaps or omissions, please tell us what you think is missing. If appropriate, please include the relevant paragraph numbers in your response.

Question 20 comments: