The community, together with the cultural hub Grinneabhat, propose to investigate innovations that will enable the continuation and expansion of their existing food system, with the intended outcome of increasing food security within the community. They aim to create a more local, resilient, and equitable food environment, with greater security of access to healthy food, starting in the community and expanding outwards.

As the last remaining community on Lewis working the coastal machair for food production,
the group plans to combine the high knowledge base within the community with ideas for innovation. They aim to ensure the sustainability of locally grown food and making the produce accessible to those unable to grow it themselves.

Lead researcher Frances Simmons said, “We are honoured to receive the Healthy Planet, Healthy People award from the RSE and Williamson Trust. The award is a really exciting opportunity for us as a community to explore ideas for combining the traditional with the modern, with the aim of making existing local crofting practices even more resilient, and healthy food more accessible. We will draw on our community’s unique assets, including our community-owned land and our commons, which is a great space for food production and a biodiverse and culturally important landscape.”