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Sarah Goes West
Sarah Skerratt (opens in new window)
SAC’s Dr Sarah Skerratt is taking a very hands-on approach to her research into rural societies this month – hopping behind a wheel of a motorhome to visit 17 community land trusts in the north and west of Scotland, and blogging as she goes!
The purpose of the trip is to meet those living in the 17 communities, where the land was previously owned by a private landlord or the Department of Agriculture and is now in community ownership. Sarah’s aim is to understand much more about processes on the ground - in communities and between people - that make them stronger and more resourceful. She is seeking to find out why people in these communities feel that owning the land opens up new possibilities for local development and sustainability.
Sarah, Senior Researcher and Team Leader of SAC’s Rural Society Research Team, also wants to identify the key messages that communities want to take to the new SNP Government. She said: “Through discussion with community land owners, I aim to find out whether owning the land and developing its assets enhances the resilience of those communities. Do these communities start out as strong or adaptable or do they become more resilient because of going through the process of buying and managing the land? This is important to understand, given government policy emphasis on supporting ‘resilient communities’.
“In its Manifesto, the SNP says it will establish a new Scottish Land Fund. This fund was instrumental in establishing many of the trusts that I will be visiting so the messages that the communities want to send to the new Government will be very timely and pertinent.”
The findings of Sarah’s research will be published in June and will also be used in the development of the second SAC Rural Policy Centre report ‘Rural Scotland in Focus’ early in 2012.
The tour will begin at Aigas Community Forest, Inverness then take in community land trusts in Assynt, Lewis, Harris, South Uist, Skye, Eigg, Knoydart, Rum, Mull and Gigha. Sarah will visit what is reported to be the oldest trust – the Stornoway Trust, established in 1923, through to those that are just starting out on the community ownership journey.
All of the 17 communities are members of Community Land Scotland, a national network providing information and support tor anyone interested in the development of community-based land activities.